Breakdown of Он покупает два билета.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
покупать
to buy
два
two
билет
ticket
Questions & Answers about Он покупает два билета.
Why does the word for tickets end in -а (билета) instead of a normal plural ending?
This is the special rule for numbers! In Russian, after the numbers 2, 3, and 4, you must use the genitive singular form of the noun, not the plural. Because билет (ticket) is a masculine word, its genitive singular form is made by adding an -а, giving us два билета.
Would I use два for any noun, like two books or two rooms?
Not always. The number two has different forms depending on the noun's gender. We use два for masculine nouns (like билет) and neuter nouns. For feminine nouns, you must use две instead.
Does покупает mean "he buys" or "he is buying"?
It means both! Russian does not have a separate continuous ("is doing") tense. You use the exact same word, покупает, whether he buys tickets every week or is standing at the ticket counter buying them right now.
Why does the first letter of покупает sound like an "a" instead of an "o"?
This happens because of vowel reduction. The spoken stress in this word is on the middle syllable (покупАет). When the Russian letter о is unstressed, it is pronounced like a short "a" sound.