Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Внучка читает книгу.
Why does the word for "book" end in -у (книгу) instead of its normal dictionary ending -а (книга)?
In Russian, when a feminine noun ending in -а is the direct object of an action (the thing being acted upon), its ending changes to -у. This is called the accusative case. Since the granddaughter is acting on the book by reading it, книга becomes книгу.
The English translation says "is reading." Is there a different Russian word to just say "reads"?
No, Russian doesn't have a separate "-ing" tense like English does. The single verb читает can mean either "reads" or "is reading," depending entirely on the context.
Where are the Russian words for "the" and "a" in this sentence?
Russian doesn't have articles like "the", "a", or "an". The literal sentence is just "Granddaughter reads book." We add "the" and "a" in the translation simply to make it sound like normal English.