Questions & Answers about Эти певцы — наши кумиры.
This lesson is about the Accusative plural, but aren't the nouns in this sentence in the Nominative case?
Yes, you are exactly right! Both певцы (singers) and кумиры (idols) are in the Nominative plural here. They are the subject and the predicate noun of the sentence. The lesson shows you this sentence to establish their base Nominative plural forms before you have to change them into the tricky Accusative plural later on!
Is кумир (idol) considered an animate or inanimate noun?
When кумир refers to a person you admire (like a singer, actor, or hero), it is an animate noun. That means when you do use it as a direct object later in this lesson (Accusative case), its plural form will change to match the Genitive plural rather than staying the same.
Why does певец (singer) become певцы in the plural instead of "певецы"?
The word певец has what is called a "fleeting vowel." The е in the final syllable drops out when we add a grammatical ending. So, instead of "певецы", the е disappears, leaving us with певцы.
Why is there a dash (—) in the middle of the sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always skipped. When a sentence connects a Nominative subject (певцы) directly to another Nominative noun (кумиры), a dash is used in writing to stand in for that invisible "are".
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