Breakdown of Дети смотрят мультфильм.
смотреть
to watch / to look at / make sure (in a warning)
дети
children
мультфильм
cartoon
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Questions & Answers about Дети смотрят мультфильм.
Why is the word for children дети when the word for child is ребёнок?
Дети is a highly irregular plural. In Russian, the singular ребёнок (child) completely changes its root in the plural to become дети (children). You just have to memorize this pair!
Смотреть ends in -еть, so why does its 'they' form end in -ят (смотрят) instead of -ют?
Смотреть is an exception to the verb rules. Even though it ends in -еть, which usually signals the first conjugation pattern, it follows the second conjugation (like verbs ending in -ить). That is why the 'they' form takes the -ят ending instead of -ют.
The word мультфильм is the direct object here, so why didn't its ending change for the accusative case?
It actually is in the accusative case! Because мультфильм is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing), its accusative form is identical to its nominative dictionary form. If the children were watching a feminine noun or a living masculine being, the ending would change.
Since we are learning the instrumental plural, how would I add 'with parents' to this sentence?
To say 'with parents', you use the preposition с followed by the instrumental plural of родитель (parent). For nouns ending in a soft sign, the instrumental plural ending is usually -ями. So, to say 'The children are watching a cartoon with their parents', you would say: Дети смотрят мультфильм с родителями.