Я ищу правильное решение.

I am looking for the right solution.

Breakdown of Я ищу правильное решение.

• я: I
• искать: to look for
• решение: the solution
• правильный: right

Questions & Answers about Я ищу правильное решение.

Why is there no word meaning “for” (like “for the right solution”) in the Russian sentence?

In Russian, the verb искать (to look for / to search for) normally takes a direct object in the accusative case and does not need a preposition.

• English: I am looking for the right solution.
• Russian: Я ищу правильное решение. (literally: I search the right solution)

So:

• я – I
• ищу – (I) look for / search
• правильное решение – the right solution (direct object, accusative)

You should not say я ищу для правильного решения or я ищу за правильным решением in this meaning. The natural pattern is simply искать + accusative object.

What tense or aspect is ищу? Does it mean “I look for” or “I am looking for”?

Ищу is:

• present tense
• 1st person singular
• of the imperfective verb искать.

In English, я ищу can correspond to both:

• I am looking for the right solution. (right now, ongoing)
• I look for the right solution. (in general, habitually)

Russian does not have a separate “-ing” (progressive) form like English. Context tells you whether it’s right now or in general.

To talk about the future, you usually say:

• Я буду искать правильное решение. – I will be looking for the right solution. (process-focused, imperfective)
• Я найду правильное решение. – I will find the right solution. (result-focused, perfective)

What infinitive does ищу come from, and how is this verb conjugated?

Ищу comes from the infinitive искать (to look for / search for).

Present tense conjugation (imperfective):

• я ищу́ – I look for / am looking for
• ты ище́шь – you (sg., informal) look for
• он / она / оно ище́т – he / she / it looks for
• мы ище́м – we look for
• вы ище́те – you (pl. or formal) look for
• они ище́т → они и́щут – they look for ✅ (correct form: и́щут)

Note:

• The infinitive is иска́ть (stress on -ка́-).
• In the present tense, the stem changes (ска → щ) and the stress usually moves (e.g., ищу́, ище́шь, и́щут).

Can I omit я and just say Ищу правильное решение?

Yes. In Russian it is very common to leave out the subject pronoun when the verb ending already shows the person.

• Я ищу правильное решение. – fully explicit
• Ищу правильное решение. – perfectly natural; still means I am looking for the right solution.

Russian is a “pro‑drop” language: я is optional unless you need to emphasize it (for example, in contrast: Я ищу, а он нет. – I’m looking, but he isn’t.).

What case is правильное решение, and why do the endings look like that?

Правильное решение is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of ищу.

• решение – a neuter noun, singular, inanimate
• правильное – adjective agreeing with a neuter noun in singular

For inanimate neuter nouns, the accusative singular = nominative singular, so the form решение doesn’t change:

• Nominative: правильное решение (What is this? The right solution.)
• Accusative: Я ищу правильное решение. (What am I looking for? The right solution.)

The adjective ending -ое (правильн-ое) is the standard neuter singular ending for nominative/accusative.

Why is it правильное решение and not правильный решение?

In Russian, adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

• решение is neuter (it ends in -е and belongs to a neuter pattern: решение, море, здание, etc.).
• Therefore the adjective must also be neuter in the same case.

Compare:

• правильный ответ – a correct answer (ответ is masculine)
• правильная идея – a correct idea (идея is feminine)
• правильное решение – the right solution (решение is neuter)

So правильный решение is grammatically wrong; it mismatches the gender.

Does правильное решение always mean “correct solution,” or can it also mean “appropriate / best solution”?

Правильное решение usually means:

• correct solution – in the sense of logically / formally right, e.g., in math or logic
• or more loosely, a right decision – something that is morally / practically right.

But Russian has other options with slightly different nuances:

• верное решение – a correct / sound / reliable solution (often “this is the correct one”)
• подходящее решение – a suitable / appropriate solution
• оптимальное решение – the optimal solution, the best possible

In many everyday contexts, правильное решение and верное решение can overlap and both be translated as the right solution / the right decision.

What is the difference between решение, ответ, and выход? They all seem like “solution” or “answer”.

They overlap in meaning but are used in different contexts:

• решение

  • solution to a problem: решение задачи – solution to a math problem
  • decision: принять решение – to make a decision

• ответ

  • answer (to a question): правильный ответ – the correct answer (e.g., in a test, quiz, or conversation)

• выход

  • literally: exit
  • figuratively: a way out / a way to get out of a difficult situation:
    Нам нужен выход из этой ситуации. – We need a way out of this situation.

So Я ищу правильное решение is more like I am looking for the right solution / decision, not I am looking for the right answer on a test (that would usually be правильный ответ).

Are there other natural word orders for this sentence, and do they change the meaning?

The neutral, most common word order is:

• Я ищу правильное решение.

Other possible orders:

• Ищу правильное решение. – Same meaning; a bit more compact / conversational.
• Правильное решение я ищу. – Emphasizes правильное решение (the right kind of solution in contrast to others).
• Я правильное решение ищу. – Can sound slightly marked/emphatic; stresses that what I am looking for specifically is the right solution.

Russian word order is more flexible than English and is often used to tune emphasis rather than basic meaning. In normal, neutral speech, stick to Я ищу правильное решение or Ищу правильное решение.

How do you pronounce ищу and решение?

Approximate pronunciation:

• ищу́ – [ee-SHOO]

  • stress on -шу́
  • щ is one soft “shch” sound, but often sounds like a long soft “sh” to English ears.

• реше́ние – [ree-SHEH-nee-ye]

  • stress on -ше́- (the second syllable)
  • ре- like reh (but a bit closer to “rye” + “eh” depending on accent)
  • -ше- like sheh
  • -ние: roughly -nee‑ye, one or one-and-a-half syllables depending on how carefully you speak.

Put together:

• Я ищу́ правильное реше́ние.
  Stress pattern: ya ee-SHOO PRAV-eel-na-ye ree-SHEH-nee-ye
  (with stronger stress on ищу́ and реше́ние).

Is there a difference between решение and решенье?

Yes, but it’s small:

• решение – the standard, neutral written form, used in all formal contexts.
• решенье – a colloquial / simplified spoken variant, common in fast, casual speech and sometimes in informal writing, song lyrics, etc.

Grammatically they behave the same. For learners, it’s safest to use and write only решение, and just recognize решенье when you hear or see it informally.