Breakdown of Я хочу позвать его куда-нибудь.
я
I
хотеть
to want
его
him / it (acc)
позвать
to call, to invite (perfective)
куда-нибудь
anywhere / somewhere (direction)
Questions & Answers about Я хочу позвать его куда-нибудь.
Why do we use куда-нибудь instead of где-нибудь if both mean "somewhere"?
In Russian, there is a strict difference between location (where something is) and destination (where someone is going). Because the verb позвать (to invite/call) implies bringing someone to a new place, it requires a word indicating direction. Therefore, we use куда (where to) instead of где (where at), making it куда-нибудь.
What exactly does the ending -нибудь tell us here?
It shows that the speaker doesn't have a specific place in mind yet. Куда-нибудь means "to some place, it doesn't matter where" or "anywhere". If the speaker had a specific but secret place in mind, they would use куда-то instead.
I learned that "to invite" is пригласить. Can I use that instead of позвать?
Yes, you can! Я хочу пригласить его куда-нибудь is perfectly correct. However, пригласить sounds a bit more formal, like an official invitation to an event, a restaurant, or a formal date. Позвать (literally "to call") is much more common in everyday speech for casually asking someone to hang out.
Why is "him" translated as его?
The verb позвать (to invite/call) takes a direct object, which means the person being invited must be in the Accusative case. The pronoun он (he) changes to его (him) in the Accusative.
Learn Я хочу позвать его куда-нибудь and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free