Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Мама кормит ребёнка.
Why does the word for child change to ребёнка here?
Ребёнок is the direct object of the verb (the person being fed), so it needs to be in the accusative case. Because a child is a living person (animate) and the noun is masculine, its accusative form matches the genitive case, taking the ending -а.
Does кормит mean "feeds" or "is feeding"?
It means both! Russian only has one present tense. Depending on the context, Мама кормит can mean either "Mum feeds" (a regular habit) or "Mum is feeding" (happening right now).
What is the infinitive form of кормит, and why does it end in -ит?
The infinitive is кормить (to feed). Because it ends in -ить, it follows the second conjugation pattern. That is why the "he/she/it" ending is -ит instead of the -ет ending you see in first conjugation verbs.
Would the meaning change if the word order was Ребёнка кормит мама?
The core meaning stays the same: Mum is still the one feeding the child. Because the cases (мама in nominative, ребёнка in accusative) show who is doing the action, Russian word order can be flexible. Changing the order to Ребёнка кормит мама just shifts the emphasis to show that Mum is the one doing it, rather than someone else.