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Questions & Answers about Я пишу открытку.
Why is the verb translated as "I am writing" instead of "I write"?
In Russian, there is only one present tense. The word пишу can mean both "I write" as a regular habit and "I am writing" right now. You can easily tell which meaning is intended based on the context.
The dictionary form for "to write" is писать. Where does the "ш" in пишу come from?
Many Russian verbs have a small consonant change when they are conjugated. For the verb писать, the letter с changes to ш in all present tense forms. This gives us пишу for "I write" and пишешь for "you write".
Why does the word for postcard end in "у" (открытку) instead of "а" (открытка)?
The dictionary form открытка is a feminine noun. When a feminine noun ending in -а is the direct object of an action (the thing receiving the action, like being written, bought, or read), its ending changes to -у. This grammatical rule is called the accusative case.
Do I have to include the pronoun Я (I) at the start of this sentence?
You can often drop the pronoun Я because the -у ending on пишу already tells the listener exactly who is doing the action. Saying just Пишу открытку sounds very natural and conversational.