Question 1

Why is the word for bears медведей here?

Accepted Answer

It is in the genitive plural case. After numbers 5 and higher, like пять (five), the noun that follows must be in the genitive plural. The dictionary form is медведь, which is a masculine noun ending in a soft sign (-ь). To form the genitive plural for these nouns, you drop the -ь and add -ей, giving us медведей.

Question 2

Since he is photographing them, shouldn't the word for bears be in the accusative case as the direct object?

Accepted Answer

The whole phrase for "five bears" acts as the direct object, so the number пять is technically in the accusative case (which looks identical to its dictionary form here). However, numbers 5 and above dictate the case of the noun that follows them. They force the noun into the genitive plural, completely overriding the accusative case the verb normally requires.

Question 3

Because bears are living animals (animate), shouldn't the number 5 change its form to match?

Accepted Answer

This is a very common trap! The rule where the accusative case looks like the genitive case for living things (animacy) only applies to the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. For numbers 5 and higher, the accusative form of the number is always identical to its nominative dictionary form, even if the noun is alive.

Question 4

Why does the verb фотографирует have a -у- in it when the dictionary form is фотографировать?

Accepted Answer

For verbs ending in -овать, there is a special conjugation rule in the present tense: the -ова- chunk drops out and is replaced by -у- before you add the personal endings. This is why it becomes он фотографирует instead of "он фотографировает".

Он фотографирует пять медведей.

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