Breakdown of Анна хочет прочитать роман.
хотеть
to want
Анна
Anna
прочитать
to read (perfective)
роман
novel
Questions & Answers about Анна хочет прочитать роман.
Why is the verb прочитать in its dictionary form here?
In Russian, when you use a verb expressing desire or ability like хотеть (to want) or мочь (to be able to), the action verb that follows it must be in the infinitive (the dictionary form). That is why we use the infinitive прочитать (to read) right after хочет.
How do we get the form хочет from the verb хотеть?
Хотеть is an irregular verb. In the present tense for singular subjects (I, you, he/she/it), the consonant т in the stem changes to a ч. Since Анна is 'she', we use the third-person singular form хочет.
Роман (a novel) is the direct object of the sentence. Why didn't its ending change?
Direct objects take the accusative case. However, for masculine inanimate nouns (non-living things like a novel or a table), the accusative form looks exactly the same as the dictionary form. So роман stays роман.
What is the difference between прочитать and читать?
Both mean 'to read'. Читать focuses on the ongoing process of reading, while прочитать focuses on completing the action. Using прочитать implies Anna wants to finish the entire novel, rather than just spend some time reading it.