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Questions & Answers about Я вижу кошку.
Why is the word for cat кошку here instead of кошка?
Because the cat is the direct object (the thing being seen). In Russian, feminine nouns ending in -а change to -у in the Accusative case.
This lesson is about the plural form for living things. How would I change this sentence to say I see cats?
You would say Я вижу кошек. For living things (animate nouns), the Accusative plural completely matches the Genitive plural. The Genitive plural of кошка is кошек, so we use that exact same form for the Accusative plural.
Does the fact that a cat is alive (animate) affect the spelling of кошку in this singular sentence?
No, not in the singular! Feminine nouns ending in -а change to -у in the Accusative case whether they are alive (кошку) or inanimate objects (машину for car). The animate rule you are learning only applies to masculine nouns in the singular, but it applies to all genders in the plural.
The dictionary form of the verb is видеть (to see). Why is the I form вижу?
Видеть has a consonant mutation. In the я (I) form, the consonant д shifts to ж, making it вижу. For the other forms, the consonant goes back to normal, like ты видишь (you see).