Я жду друга на перекрёстке.

I am waiting for a friend at the intersection.

Breakdown of Я жду друга на перекрёстке.

• друг: the friend
• я: I
• на: at
• ждать: to wait
• перекрёсток: the intersection

Questions & Answers about Я жду друга на перекрёстке.

Why is it друга and not друг?

Because друг is the direct object of жду, so it must be in the accusative case.

• Nominative (dictionary form): друг – "friend" (subject)
• Accusative (masculine animate): друга – "friend" (object, a person)

For masculine animate nouns, the accusative form looks like the genitive. So я жду друга literally is "I am-waiting friend-ACC" = "I am waiting for (a/the) friend."

Why isn’t there a word for “for” (like "wait for") in the Russian sentence?

In Russian, ждать already means "to wait for". It takes a direct object in the accusative case and does not use a preposition:

• ждать друга – to wait for a friend
• ждать автобус – to wait for the bus

If you tried to add a preposition like для or за, it would be wrong in this meaning. So я жду друга fully covers "I’m waiting for a friend."

What tense/aspect is жду, and how is it different from подожду?

Жду is:

• Present tense
• 1st person singular
• Imperfective aspect (from ждать)

It describes an ongoing process: you’re in the middle of waiting.

Подожду is:

• Future tense
• 1st person singular
• Perfective aspect (from подождать)

It focuses on the result or completion of waiting, often with a nuance like "I’ll wait (for a bit / until it’s done)."

Examples:

• Я жду друга. – I am (now) waiting for a friend.
• Я подожду друга. – I’ll wait (for) my friend / I’ll wait until he comes.

Why is it на перекрёстке and not в перекрёстке?

Because Russian usually uses на with open, flat places or surfaces, and intersections are treated that way:

• на перекрёстке – at the intersection
• на площади – in/at the square
• на остановке – at the (bus) stop

В is more for enclosed spaces (rooms, buildings, inside something):

• в доме – in the house
• в магазине – in the shop

So standing at or on an intersection is naturally на перекрёстке, not в перекрёстке.

What case is перекрёстке, and how is it formed?

Перекрёстке is in the prepositional case singular.

Pattern:

• Nominative: перекрёсток (intersection)
• Prepositional (with на, static location): на перекрёстке – at the intersection

For many masculine nouns ending in -ок, the -ок disappears in oblique cases and you add the usual ending:

• перекрёсток → на перекрёстке
• лесок → в леске (in the little forest)

So -ке here is the prepositional ending -е added to the stem перекрёстк-.

How do you pronounce перекрёстке, and what’s the role of ё?

Pronunciation: пе-ре-крЁст-ке, with stress on ё.

Important points:

• ё is always stressed and pronounced [yo] (like “yo” in "yoga").
• In modern printed Russian, ё is often written as е, but the pronunciation stays [yo]. So you might see перекрестке, but you still say перекрЁстке.

Syllables:

• пе – [pe]
• ре – [re]
• крёст – [kryost] (with stressed ё)
• ке – [kʲe]

Can I drop я and just say Жду друга на перекрёстке?

Yes, that’s completely natural.

Russian verb endings show the subject, so я is often omitted when it’s clear from context:

• Я жду друга на перекрёстке. – neutral, slightly more explicit.
• Жду друга на перекрёстке. – also normal, often used in speech, texts, messages.

Both mean the same thing; omitting я does not sound rude or abrupt here.

Can the word order change, like На перекрёстке я жду друга or Друга я жду на перекрёстке?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible. Each option slightly shifts the emphasis:

• Я жду друга на перекрёстке. – neutral, all new information.
• На перекрёстке я жду друга. – emphasizes the place ("At the intersection, that’s where I’m waiting for a friend").
• Друга я жду на перекрёстке. – emphasizes whom you’re waiting for (contrasting with waiting for someone else, or something else you might do there).

Grammar (cases etc.) doesn’t change; only the nuance of what’s highlighted.

How would I say “I’m waiting for my friend” with “my” in Russian?

You add the possessive adjective мой, but it must match друга in gender, number, and case.

• Nominative: мой друг – my friend (subject)
• Accusative (masc. animate): моего друга – my friend (object)

So:

• Я жду моего друга на перекрёстке. – I’m waiting for my friend at the intersection.

In colloquial speech, many people also say я жду друга when the context already makes it clear it’s "my" friend.

Why does друг change to друга, but перекрёсток in this sentence doesn’t look like перекрёстка?

Two different things are happening:

1. Друга

   • друг is a masculine animate noun in the accusative (object of жду).
   • For masculine animate nouns, accusative = genitive, so друг → друга.

2. Перекрёстке

   • перекрёсток here is not an object; it’s a location after на.
   • With location (static “at, on”), на usually takes the prepositional case, so перекрёсток → на перекрёстке.

If you expressed movement to the intersection, then you’d see an accusative form:

• Я иду на перекрёсток. – I’m going to the intersection. (here: перекрёсток is accusative, inanimate → same as nominative)

Are there other verbs I could use instead of ждать here, like ожидать?

Yes, but they change the style or nuance:

• ожидать – more formal, bookish:
  
  • Я ожидаю друга на перекрёстке. – stylistically higher, can sound official or literary.
• подождать (perfective) – wait for some time / until something happens:
  
  • Я подожду друга на перекрёстке. – I’ll wait (for) my friend at the intersection (focusing on the completed act of waiting).

For a simple, neutral everyday sentence, я жду друга на перекрёстке is the most natural choice.