Я внимательно слушаю учителя.

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Breakdown of Я внимательно слушаю учителя.

• учитель: the teacher
• слушать: to listen
• внимательно: carefully

Questions & Answers about Я внимательно слушаю учителя.

What does внимательно mean and what part of speech is it?

Внимательно is an adverb meaning “carefully” or “attentively.” It modifies the verb слушаю by describing the manner of listening. It is formed from the adjective внимательный (“attentive”) by replacing the adjective ending with -о.

Why is учителя in the accusative case, and why does it look like the genitive form?

The verb слушать (“to listen to”) takes a direct object in the accusative case. For masculine animate nouns like учитель (“teacher”), the accusative singular form is identical to the genitive singular: учителя. This signals that the teacher is a living being.

Why isn’t there a preposition before учителя?

Unlike English (“listen to”), Russian слушать directly governs its object without a preposition. You simply say слушать + accusative (e.g., слушаю учителя). Adding a preposition like к would change the meaning (it would become “toward the teacher”).

What person, number, and tense is слушаю?

Слушаю is first person singular in the present tense of the imperfective verb слушать. It translates as “I listen” or “I am listening,” indicating a habitual or ongoing action.