Breakdown of Я люблю все фрукты, кроме этих бананов.
я
I
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
любить
to love, to like
банан
banana
фрукт
fruit
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
кроме
except
Questions & Answers about Я люблю все фрукты, кроме этих бананов.
Why do we use этих бананов instead of эти бананы?
The preposition кроме (except) always requires the Genitive case. Since we are talking about plural bananas, we need the Genitive plural forms: этих (of these) and бананов (of bananas).
Can кроме also mean "besides" or "in addition to"?
Yes! Depending on the context, кроме can mean "except" (excluding something, like in this sentence) or "besides" (including something). For example, Кроме бананов, я люблю яблоки means "Besides bananas, I like apples." It always takes the Genitive case either way.
In the phrase все фрукты, is фрукты in the Nominative or Accusative case?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object of люблю (I like). However, because фрукты (fruits) are inanimate (not living things), the Accusative plural looks exactly the same as the Nominative plural. The word все (all) also matches this form.
Wait, isn't этих also the Accusative plural for animate objects?
Yes, good catch! For plural animate objects (people or animals), the Accusative case matches the Genitive case. But here, bananas are inanimate. The only reason we see этих in this sentence is because кроме forces the Genitive case. If you were just saying "I like these bananas", you would use the inanimate Accusative: Я люблю эти бананы.
Learn Я люблю все фрукты, кроме этих бананов and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free