Я люблю клубничный торт.

I love strawberry cake.

Breakdown of Я люблю клубничный торт.

• я: I
• любить: to love
• торт: the cake
• клубничный: strawberry

Questions & Answers about Я люблю клубничный торт.

Why is it клубничный торт and not клубника торт?

In Russian, when you describe what kind of cake something is, you normally use an adjective, not a second noun.

• клубника = strawberry (the fruit)
• клубничный = strawberry (as an adjective: “strawberry-flavored,” “made of strawberries”)
• торт = cake

So клубничный торт literally means “strawberry cake” / “strawberry-flavored cake.”
Using two nouns together like клубника торт is not how Russian usually works; it sounds ungrammatical. You need to turn клубника into the adjective клубничный to modify торт.

What case is клубничный торт in, and why?

Клубничный торт is in the accusative case (masculine singular, inanimate).

• The verb любить (“to love, to like”) takes its direct object in the accusative.
• The noun торт is masculine inanimate, and for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative form is the same as the nominative: торт → торт.
• The adjective клубничный must agree with торт in gender, number, and case, so it is also masculine singular accusative, which looks the same as its nominative: клубничный → клубничный.

So grammatically:
Я (nominative) люблю (verb) клубничный торт (accusative object).

How does the adjective клубничный agree with торт?

In Russian, adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

• торт is masculine, singular, accusative (inanimate).
• So the adjective must also be masculine singular accusative.

The standard endings for hard-stem adjectives in the masculine singular (nominative/accusative inanimate) are -ый / -ий.
Here we get:

• клубничный (masc. sg. nom/acc.) + торт (masc. sg. nom/acc.) → клубничный торт

If the noun changed, the adjective would change too:

• клубничная паста (feminine)
• клубничное мороженое (neuter)
• клубничные торты (plural)

Why is it я люблю and not something like я любовь?

In Russian, любовь is a noun meaning “love,” while люблю is a verb form of любить (“to love”).

• я люблю = “I love / I like” (verb)
• я любовь would literally be “I (am) love,” which doesn’t make sense in this context.

So to express “I love something,” you need the verb любить, conjugated as я люблю.

How do you conjugate любить, and how would I say “we love strawberry cake”?

Любить is a second-conjugation verb. Its present-tense forms are:

• я люблю – I love
• ты любишь – you (sg., informal) love
• он / она / оно любит – he / she / it loves
• мы любим – we love
• вы любите – you (pl. or formal) love
• они любят – they love

So:

• Мы любим клубничный торт. = “We love strawberry cake.”

What is the difference between я люблю and мне нравится?

Both can translate as “I like,” but they differ in grammar and nuance.

1. Я люблю клубничный торт.

   • Literally: “I love strawberry cake.”
   • Stronger, more personal feeling; often used for favorites or deeper attachment (people, hobbies, favorite foods).

2. Мне нравится клубничный торт.

   • Literally: “Strawberry cake is pleasing to me.”
   • More like neutral “I like strawberry cake.”
   • Мне is dative (“to me”), and нравится agrees with the thing liked.

For everyday talk about food, both can be used, but я люблю often sounds stronger, like “I really like / I love strawberry cake,” while мне нравится is milder.

Can I omit я and just say люблю клубничный торт?

Yes, you can.

In Russian, the verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

• люблю can only be “I love” (first person singular).

So Люблю клубничный торт is completely natural and very common in conversation.
Including я can add a bit of emphasis or clarity, especially in contrast:

• Я люблю клубничный торт, а он — шоколадный.
  “I love strawberry cake, and he (likes) chocolate.”

Can I change the word order, like Клубничный торт я люблю?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but it changes emphasis.

• Я люблю клубничный торт. – neutral: “I love strawberry cake.”
• Люблю клубничный торт. – neutral/informal, subject implied.
• Клубничный торт я люблю. – emphasizes “strawberry cake” as the thing you love; often contrastive, like:
  • Клубничный торт я люблю, а яблочный — не очень.
• Я клубничный торт люблю. – possible, but more marked; it stresses the verb, like “I do love strawberry cake.”

For a straightforward statement, Я люблю клубничный торт is the most standard and natural.

How do I say “I love strawberry cakes” (plural) instead?

You need to put both the adjective and noun in the plural accusative:

• Singular: клубничный торт
• Plural nominative: клубничные торты
• Plural accusative (inanimate): same as nominative → клубничные торты

So:

• Я люблю клубничные торты.
  “I love strawberry cakes.”

How do you pronounce this sentence, especially the stress?

Stress and approximate pronunciation:

• Я – ya
• люблю – lyuBLYU (stress on the second syllable: люблю)
• клубничный – klubNÍCHnyy (stress on ни: клубничный)
• торт – tort (one syllable, stressed)

In IPA:
[ja lʲʊˈblʲu klʊbˈnʲit͡ʂnɨj tort]

Key points:

• люблю: stress on -лю, soft л and бл cluster.
• клубничный: soft н before чн, stress on the second syllable.
• торт: short, clear o (not like English “tort” exactly; closer to a pure [o]).

How do I say “I like this strawberry cake” (a specific one)?

To refer to a specific cake, add a demonstrative like этот (“this”):

• Я люблю этот клубничный торт.
  Literally: “I love this strawberry cake.”

If you want a milder “like” rather than strong “love,” you can use нравится:

• Мне нравится этот клубничный торт.
  “I like this strawberry cake.” (specific one)

Is there a difference between торт, пирог, and пирожное?

Yes, they refer to different kinds of baked sweets:

• торт – usually a layered cake with cream, frosting, etc. (birthday cake, fancy cake).
• пирог – a pie or baked pastry, often with filling (fruit, meat, cabbage, etc.), can be sweet or savory.
• пирожное – a small individual cake or pastry (like a slice-sized fancy dessert).

So клубничный торт is “strawberry cake,” not a pie.
If it were a strawberry pie, you might say клубничный пирог.