Questions & Answers about Я вижу два слова и три ошибки.
Why do the words for "words" and "mistakes" look different here (слова, ошибки) instead of their dictionary forms (слово, ошибка)?
This is the main rule for numbers 2, 3, and 4! When you count two, three, or four of something, the noun that follows must be in the Genitive singular form. So, the neuter noun слово becomes слова, and the feminine noun ошибка becomes ошибки.
Why is it два слова and not две слова? I thought the number two had different forms.
You are right! The number two has two forms: два for masculine and neuter nouns, and две for feminine nouns. Since слово is a neuter noun (it ends in -о), we use два. If we were counting feminine mistakes, we would use две, for example, две ошибки (two mistakes).
The verb вижу (I see) usually requires the Accusative case. Why are we using the Genitive case here?
The whole phrase (два слова, три ошибки) is actually the direct object, so the numbers themselves are in the Accusative case. For inanimate objects (things that aren't alive), the Accusative form of the number is identical to its dictionary form. The rule "numbers 2, 3, 4 take the Genitive singular noun" happens inside that phrase, regardless of the verb outside it.
Is вижу from the verb видеть? Why does the "д" change to "ж"?
Yes, вижу is the "I" form of видеть (to see). This is a common consonant change in Russian verbs. For many verbs ending in -деть, the д changes to ж only in the "я" (I) form to make it easier to pronounce. The other forms keep the д, like ты видишь (you see).
Learn Я вижу два слова и три ошибки and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free