Я жду друга на перекрёстке.

the friend

Breakdown of Я жду друга на перекрёстке.

• я: I
• на: at
• ждать: to wait

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?