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Questions & Answers about Я покупаю апельсины.
Why does the verb end in -ю here instead of -ть?
Покупать is the infinitive, or dictionary form, meaning to buy. Because the subject is я (I), we change the ending to match. For verbs in this group, dropping -ть and adding -ю is the standard way to say that I am doing the action.
Does покупаю mean I buy or I am buying?
It can mean both! Russian does not have a separate continuous tense like English does. Я покупаю translates to either I buy or I am buying depending on what makes sense in the conversation.
How is the word for oranges made plural in this sentence?
The singular dictionary form is апельсин. Since it is a masculine noun ending in a hard consonant, we make it plural by adding the letter -ы to the end, giving us апельсины.
Shouldn't апельсины have a different ending because it's the direct object receiving the action?
As the direct object, it is in the accusative case. However, for inanimate objects (things that are not alive, like fruit), the accusative case looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary form. This rule applies to both singular and plural inanimate masculine nouns, so апельсины doesn't change its ending.