Для каши мама купила пшено и молоко.

to buy

Breakdown of Для каши мама купила пшено и молоко.

• и: and
• для: for
• мама: the mother

Questions & Answers about Для каши мама купила пшено и молоко.

Why is it каши and not каша?

Because для requires the genitive case.

• Dictionary form: каша = porridge
• After для (for), it becomes каши

So:

• каша = porridge
• для каши = for porridge

This is a very common pattern in Russian: для + genitive.

What exactly does для mean here?

Для usually means for.

In this sentence, для каши means for the porridge or more naturally in English, to make porridge.

So the idea is that Mom bought millet and milk for making porridge.

Why is купила used instead of купил?

Because the subject is мама, which is feminine.

Russian verbs in the past tense agree with the subject in gender and number:

• купил = bought, masculine
• купила = bought, feminine
• купило = bought, neuter
• купили = bought, plural

Since мама is feminine, the correct form is купила.

Why don’t пшено and молоко change form after купила?