Песня длится минуту.

the song

Breakdown of Песня длится минуту.

• минута: the minute
• длиться: to last

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?