Breakdown of Я взял одежду и пошёл в примерочную.
я
I
в
to
пойти
to go
и
and
взять
to take
одежда
the clothing
примерочная
the fitting room
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Questions & Answers about Я взял одежду и пошёл в примерочную.
Why is Russian одежда singular, while English uses the plural "clothes"?
In Russian, одежда is a collective (mass) noun that covers all kinds of garments. Even though English uses “clothes” in the plural, Russian treats clothing as a singular concept. You don’t say одежды to mean “clothes” in general; you use singular одежда. If you need to count individual items, you say предметы одежды or specify pieces (e.g., две рубашки, три платья).
Why is одежда in the form одежду in this sentence?
Because одежда is the direct object of the verb взять (“to take”). In Russian, most animate and inanimate direct objects take the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in –a, the accusative singular ending changes –a to –у, so одежда → одежду.
What is the difference between брать and взять, and why is взял used here?
Брать is imperfective (“to take” with emphasis on the process or repeated action), while взять is perfective (“to take” as a completed, one-time event). Взял is the past tense of взять, showing that the action of taking the clothes was completed before you went to the fitting room. If you said брал, it would imply an ongoing or habitual action: “I was taking clothes…”
What nuance does пошёл convey? How is it different from шёл?
Пошёл is the past tense perfective form of пойти, meaning “set off” or “went” (once). It emphasizes the start or completion of the movement. Шёл is the past imperfective of идти, meaning “was walking” or “went” as an ongoing process. So я пошёл highlights that you headed to the fitting room and arrived, whereas я шёл would focus on the process of walking there.
Why is the preposition в used with примерочную, and why is it in the accusative case?
In Russian, в + accusative expresses movement into or toward a place. Since you are going into the fitting room, you use в (into) plus the accusative form of примерочная. Примерочная is feminine, so its accusative singular ending (which for feminine nouns identical to the genitive) is -ую, giving примерочную.
What is the stress pattern in примерочную?
The stress falls on the third syllable: при-мер-О́ЧНУ-ю. You pronounce it as pri-me-ROCH-nu-yu.
Is the subject pronoun я necessary here? Can it be omitted?
In Russian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the person and number. You could simply say Взял одежду и пошёл в примерочную, and it would still mean “I took clothes and went to the fitting room.” However, including я adds emphasis or clarity, especially in spoken or informal contexts.
Could you use a phrase like сходить в примерочную instead? How would that change the sentence?
Yes. Сходить is another perfective verb meaning “to make a quick trip/to go and come back.” If you said Я взял одежду и сходил в примерочную, it implies you went to the fitting room and then returned (perhaps to show someone). It highlights a round trip, whereas пошёл only marks the departure or the act of going there, not the return.
Is примерочная always feminine, and how would its ending change in other cases?
Yes, примерочная is a first-declension feminine noun (ending in –a). Here are its singular endings by case:
• Nominative: примерочная
• Accusative (movement into): примерочную
• Genitive/Accusative (for inanimate, in some contexts): примерочной
• Dative: примерочной
• Instrumental: примерочной (or примерочной with slight pronunciation change)
• Prepositional: о примерочной (meaning “about the fitting room”)