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Questions & Answers about Песня длится минуту.
What part of speech is длится, and what does it mean?
длится is a verb in the 3rd person singular, present tense. It comes from the imperfective, reflexive verb длиться, which means “to last” or “to continue in duration.”
Why is минуту in the accusative case rather than the instrumental?
In Russian, expressions of duration with verbs like длиться take the accusative case. So минута (nominative) becomes минуту (accusative) to indicate “lasting one minute.”
Can I include the numeral “one” and say Песня длится одну минуту?
Yes. Adding одну (accusative feminine singular of один) is perfectly correct: Песня длится одну минуту. It simply makes the “one-minute” duration explicit.
Do all time-duration expressions use the accusative case with длиться?
Generally, yes. Whether it’s минуту, час (accusative час), or два часа (accusative with numerals), the accusative case marks the span of time.
Are there synonyms for длится that I might also use?
You can use продолжается (“continues”) as in Песня продолжается минуту. It also takes the accusative for duration, though длиться emphasizes the total length more directly.
How would I ask “How long does the song last?” in Russian?
You can say Как долго длится песня? This literally means “How long does the song last?” You could also ask Сколько длится песня?, though Как долго… is more common.
What is the stress pattern in минуту?
Stress falls on the second syllable: mi-NU-tu (ми-НУ-ту).
How do I express the future duration? Can I use a perfective form?
Yes. To talk about a future one-minute duration, use the perfective продлиться: Песня продлится минуту. Alternatively, with the imperfective future periphrastic you could say Песня будет длиться минуту, but продлится is more concise.
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