Questions & Answers about Мама ставит кресло.
Why hasn't the word кресло changed its ending if it is the direct object here?
Because кресло is an inanimate neuter noun. In Russian, inanimate neuter nouns (as well as inanimate masculine nouns) do not change their endings in the Accusative case. They look exactly the same as they do in their dictionary form!
If кресло didn't change its ending, how do we know it is the object and not the subject?
Word order and logic are your best clues here. The subject Мама comes first, which is standard. More importantly, common sense tells us that a mum can place an armchair, but an armchair cannot place a mum!
Does ставит mean to stand or to put?
It means to put or to place something, but specifically in a standing or upright position. Russian uses different verbs for putting things down depending on whether the object ends up standing upright (ставить) or lying flat. Since an armchair rests on its legs, we use ставит.
What if I wanted to say the armchair stands? Would I still use ставит?
No, you would use a different verb. The verb ставит is an action someone does to an object (putting it in a standing position). If you just want to describe that the armchair is already standing there, you would use the verb стоит.
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