Мы ждали приезда бабушки весь день.

Because after ждать (to wait), Russian very often uses the genitive when the thing being awaited is an event, an abstract thing, or a verbal noun.

Here, приезд means arrival, so Russian says:

• ждать приезда = to wait for the arrival

A useful pattern to remember is:

• ждать кого? что?
• but in real usage, ждать often appears with genitive, especially in phrases like ждать ответа, ждать помощи, ждать приезда.

So приезда is not random: it is the normal form in this expression.

Because приезд бабушки means grandma’s arrival or the arrival of grandma.

The noun приезд is followed by a noun in the genitive to show whose arrival it is:

• приезд бабушки = grandma’s arrival
• приезд друга = a friend’s arrival
• приезд гостей = the guests’ arrival

So in this sentence, there are two linked genitives:

• ждали приезда = waited for the arrival
• приезда бабушки = the arrival of grandma

English uses of or ’s here, but Russian uses the genitive case.

Yes, and it means something slightly different in focus.

• Мы ждали бабушку весь день = We waited for grandma all day
• Мы ждали приезда бабушки весь день = We waited for grandma’s arrival all day

The first version focuses more directly on the person. The second version focuses on the event of her arriving.

In many contexts, both are natural. But ждали приезда бабушки can sound a bit more specific or formal because it highlights the expected arrival itself.

Because the sentence describes an ongoing process over a period of time: all day.

Ждать is the imperfective verb, and it is the normal choice when you mean:

• an action in progress
• repeated or extended waiting
• a process without emphasizing completion

So:

• Мы ждали весь день = We were waiting / waited all day

That fits the idea perfectly.

A perfective verb would change the meaning. For example, подождали usually means something more like waited for a while, not simply waited all day as an ongoing situation.

Because Russian often uses the accusative case to express duration of time.

So:

• весь день = all day
• всю ночь = all night
• всю неделю = all week

This is a very common pattern.

In this sentence, весь день answers the question how long?

• Мы ждали приезда бабушки весь день.
• How long did we wait? — All day.

So весь день is a time-duration expression in the accusative.

Russian often does drop subject pronouns, but not always.

Here, мы is useful because ждали in the past plural does not tell you the person by itself. It could mean:

• we waited
• you waited (plural/formal)
• they waited

So adding мы makes the subject clear.

Without it, Ждали приезда бабушки весь день could still be understood from context, but мы removes ambiguity.

No, Russian word order is quite flexible.

The sentence as given is natural:

• Мы ждали приезда бабушки весь день.

But other versions are also possible:

• Мы весь день ждали приезда бабушки.
• Весь день мы ждали приезда бабушки.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes:

• весь день earlier in the sentence gives more prominence to the duration
• the original order sounds fairly neutral and natural

So Russian word order often helps show focus rather than changing the core meaning.

Приезд is a noun meaning arrival, especially arrival after travel.

It is related to the verbs:

• приехать = to arrive by transport / to come by vehicle
• приезжать = to arrive regularly / be arriving / come by transport

So приезд бабушки is literally grandma’s arrival.

This is slightly more specific than a general noun like приход, which is connected to coming or arrival on foot / in a more general sense.

The main word stress is:

• Мы ждалИ приЕзда бАбушки весь дЕнь.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Мы = my
• ждали = zhda-LEE
• приезда = pree-yeZDA
• бабушки = BA-boosh-kee
• весь день = vyes den’

A couple of useful notes:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• день ends with a soft н, because of the soft sign ь
• е after some consonants can sound like ye

So if you say it smoothly, it sounds roughly like:

my zhda-LEE pree-yeZDA BA-boosh-kee vyes den’