Questions & Answers about Я всегда помню родину.
Why does the word for homeland end in -у (родину) instead of -а (родина)?
In Russian, the direct object of a sentence (the thing receiving the action) takes the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а like родина, the ending changes to -у in the accusative case. Because you are remembering the homeland, it is the direct object here.
The translation says "my homeland," but I don't see the Russian word for "my". Why is it missing?
Russian frequently drops possessive words like "my", "your", or "his" when it is obvious from the context who it belongs to. Since the speaker is saying Я всегда помню (I always remember), it naturally implies they are talking about their own homeland.
Why does the verb помню end in -ю?
The dictionary form of the verb is помнить (to remember). Because it ends in -ить, it follows a specific pattern (called the second conjugation). To make the "I" form (я), you drop the -ить and add -ю.
Does the word всегда (always) have to go right before the verb?
Generally, adverbs of frequency like всегда come right before the verb they describe, just like in English. However, Russian word order is very flexible. You could say Я помню родину всегда to put a strong emotional emphasis on the word "always".