Breakdown of Покажите мне, пожалуйста, эту коричневую куртку.
я
I
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
показать
to show (perfective)
пожалуйста
please
коричневый
brown
куртка
the jacket
Questions & Answers about Покажите мне, пожалуйста, эту коричневую куртку.
Why do the words for "this brown jacket" all end in -у or -ую?
The phrase is the direct object of the verb "show" (it's the thing being shown), so it needs to be in the accusative case. Since the base noun куртка (jacket) is feminine, the noun changes its -а ending to -у. The words describing it match this case: the demonstrative эта (this) becomes эту, and the adjective коричневая (brown) becomes коричневую.
How do I know if an adjective takes the -ую or -юю ending in the accusative case?
It depends on the dictionary form of the adjective. Regular "hard" adjectives end in -ая and change to -ую (like коричневая changing to коричневую). You will only use -юю for "soft" adjectives, which end in -яя in the dictionary (for example, a dark blue jacket, синяя куртка, would become синюю куртку).
Why is it мне instead of меня for "me"?
The verb покажите (show) requires the dative case to express to whom you are showing something. Мне is the dative form of я, meaning "to me." Меня is the accusative form, which you would use if you were the object being shown!
Why does the command покажите end in -те?
The -те ending is used for formal or plural commands. Because this sentence is likely spoken in a shop to an employee, the speaker uses the polite вы form. If you were asking a close friend or family member to show you something, you would use the informal ты form, which drops the -те to become покажи.
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