Я жду друга в подъезде.

I am waiting for a friend in the stairwell.

Breakdown of Я жду друга в подъезде.

• друг: the friend
• я: I
• в: in
• ждать: to wait
• подъезд: the stairwell

Questions & Answers about Я жду друга в подъезде.

Why is it друга and not друг?

Because друга is the genitive singular form of друг.

The verb ждать ("to wait for") usually takes its object in the genitive case, not the nominative:

• Я жду друга. – I am waiting for (a) friend.
  • друг (nominative: who? what?) – "friend"
  • друга (genitive: of whom? whom?) – required after ждать

So the structure is literally: "I am waiting (of) friend," which in natural English is just "I am waiting for a friend / my friend."

Why does ждать take the genitive case (друга) instead of the accusative?

Historically, some Russian verbs govern the genitive rather than the accusative, and ждать is one of them.

• ждать кого? чего? – this pattern uses genitive.
  • ждать друга (genitive) – to wait for a friend
  • ждать автобуса – to wait for the bus
  • ждать ответа – to wait for an answer

In modern Russian you can sometimes hear accusative with ждать (e.g. ждать поезд), especially in colloquial speech, but genitive is still the standard and safest choice for learners.

Why is it just друга and not моего друга or своего друга ("my friend")?

Russian often omits possessive pronouns (мой, твой, его, свой, etc.) where English would naturally use my/your/his…, especially when the possessor is obvious from context.

• Я жду друга. – Usually understood as I’m waiting for my friend, if context doesn’t suggest otherwise.
• Я жду своего друга. – Emphasizes that it’s my (own) friend, not someone else’s.
• Я жду моего друга. – Grammatically correct, but in many contexts sounds a bit more explicit or contrasting, like this specific friend of mine.

In neutral situations, Я жду друга is enough unless you really need to stress whose friend it is.

Why is it жду and not something like ждаю?

Жду is the 1st person singular present form of the verb ждать.

The conjugation is irregular in the stem:

• Infinitive: ждать – to wait
• 1st person singular: я жду – I wait / I am waiting
• 2nd person singular: ты ждёшь
• 3rd person singular: он/она ждёт
• 1st plural: мы ждём
• 2nd plural: вы ждёте
• 3rd plural: они ждут

So you just have to memorize that я жду is the correct form; Russian doesn’t form it like ждаю.

How do I express English “I am waiting” vs “I wait”? Does Russian я жду cover both?

Yes. Russian doesn’t have a separate present continuous form like English.

• Я жду друга. = I am waiting for my friend (right now)
• Я обычно жду друга в подъезде. = I usually wait for my friend in the entrance. (habitual, repeated action)

Context and adverbs (like сейчас, обычно, часто) show whether it’s a current action or a general habit. Grammatically it is the same present tense form: я жду.

What exactly does подъезд mean here? Is it just “entrance”?

Подъезд is a culture-specific word:

• In the context of an apartment building, подъезд means the entrance section / stairwell of a multi-storey building:
  • the door from the street
  • the hallway just inside
  • the stairwell and landings serving a group of apartments

So:

• в подъезде = inside the building’s entrance/stairwell area, not out on the street, and not just “in front of the door.”

It is not used for:

• the entrance to a private house (that would usually be вход, дверь, крыльцо)
• the entrance to a shop (again вход, у входа)

Why is it в подъезде and not в подъезд?

Here в подъезде uses the prepositional case to talk about a location ("in the entrance / in the stairwell").

• в + prepositional = in / inside (location)
  
  • в подъезде – in the entrance / stairwell

В подъезд (with accusative) would instead mean motion into the entrance:

• Я захожу в подъезд. – I’m going into the entrance / into the stairwell.
• Я жду друга в подъезде. – I am waiting for my friend in the entrance (already there, no motion).

So:

• where? → prepositional: в подъезде
• into where? → accusative: в подъезд

How is подъезде formed from подъезд? What case is it?

Подъезде is the prepositional singular form of подъезд.

For many masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the prepositional singular adds -е:

• подъезд → в подъезде
• город → в городе (in the city)
• дом → в доме (in the house)

So the pattern is:

• Nominative: подъезд
• Prepositional (with в/на for location): в подъезде – “in the entrance / in the stairwell”

What’s the difference between в подъезде and у подъезда?

• в подъезде – inside the entrance/stairwell area.

  • You are already within the building’s entrance space.

• у подъезда – at / by / near the entrance, typically outside.

  • You are standing outside the building, near its entrance door.

So:

• Я жду друга в подъезде. – I’m inside, in the stairwell area, waiting.
• Я жду друга у подъезда. – I’m outside, near the entrance, waiting.

Can I change the word order, like В подъезде я жду друга or Я в подъезде жду друга?

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and all these variants are grammatically correct:

1. Я жду друга в подъезде.

   • Neutral, straightforward statement.

2. Я в подъезде жду друга.

   • Light emphasis on в подъезде: “It’s in the entrance that I am waiting (not somewhere else).”

3. В подъезде я жду друга.

   • Stronger focus on в подъезде; the location is what you are highlighting first.

4. Друга я жду в подъезде.

   • Emphasizes друга (“It’s the friend I’m waiting for in the entrance”).

The basic meaning stays the same; word order mainly changes which part is emphasized.

Do I need to say я, or can I just say Жду друга в подъезде?

You can omit the subject pronoun in Russian when it’s clear from the verb ending:

• Жду друга в подъезде. – (I’m) waiting for (a/my) friend in the entrance.

The -у ending in жду already shows 1st person singular (“I”). Including я is normal and neutral; omitting it often sounds a bit more informal or context-dependent, but it’s perfectly grammatical.

What’s the nuance between ждать and подождать?

Both are about waiting, but they differ in aspect:

• ждать – imperfective aspect

  • Focus on the process or ongoing action.
  • Я жду друга в подъезде. – I’m (in the middle of) waiting for my friend in the entrance.

• подождать – perfective aspect

  • Focus on starting/doing the waiting for a certain time, often for a limited period or as a completed act.
  • Я подожду тебя в подъезде. – I’ll wait for you in the entrance (for a while / as a one-time, bounded action).

In the given sentence, because the person is describing a current, ongoing situation, жду (from ждать) is the natural choice.

There are no words for “a” or “the” in Я жду друга в подъезде. How do I know if it’s “a friend” or “my friend” or “the friend”?

Russian has no articles (a/an, the). Definiteness and possession are understood from:

• context
• word choice
• sometimes word order or pronouns

So Я жду друга в подъезде can be translated as:

• I’m waiting for a friend in the entrance.
• I’m waiting for my friend in the entrance.

If you want to make “my friend” explicit, you can say:

• Я жду своего друга в подъезде.

Otherwise, native speakers infer the most natural reading from context.

How do you stress and pronounce Я жду друга в подъезде?

Stresses:

• Я жду́ дру́га в подъе́зде.

Approximate pronunciation with stress indicated in CAPS:

• Я – [ya]
• жду́ – [zhDOO] (zh like the s in measure)
• дру́га – [DROO-guh]
• в – [v]
• подье́зде – [pad-YEZ-de]
  
  • the дь is soft (tongue slightly forward), sounds close to [dy]
  • е́ is stressed: [YEZ]

All together: ya zhDOO DROO-guh v pad-YEZ-de.