Questions & Answers about Мой брат очень любит кота.
Why does the word for cat change to кота here?
The cat is the direct object of the verb (the one being loved), so it takes the Accusative case. For masculine nouns that are alive (animate), we add an -а to the end, changing кот to кота.
Since брат (brother) is also masculine and alive, why doesn't it change to брата?
Мой брат is the subject of the sentence (the one doing the loving). The subject always stays in the basic dictionary form (Nominative case). We only use the Accusative case for the receiver of the action.
Doesn't очень usually mean 'very'? Why is it translated as 'really' here?
Yes, очень literally means 'very'. But while in English we say 'really loves' or 'loves a lot', in Russian it is perfectly natural to say 'very loves' (очень любит).
What is the base form of the verb любит?
The dictionary form is любить (to love). It ends in -ит here because it is in the 'he/she/it' form to match Мой брат (My brother).
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