Breakdown of Самолёт, который я жду, начинает взлетать.
я
I
ждать
to wait (imperfective)
начинать
to begin
самолёт
airplane
Questions & Answers about Самолёт, который я жду, начинает взлетать.
How does the prefix вз- create the meaning of "take off" in взлетать?
The base verb is летать, which means "to fly." The prefix вз- (which changes to вс- before voiceless consonants) adds the specific meaning of upward movement. Literally meaning "to fly up," it is the standard Russian word for a plane taking off.
Why do we use the imperfective verb взлетать instead of the perfective взлететь here?
In Russian, verbs that indicate the beginning, continuing, or ending of an action (like начинать / начать) must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive. Even though the takeoff will eventually be completed, you are focusing on the start of the process, so you need the imperfective взлетать.
Doesn't the verb ждать (to wait) normally take the genitive case? Why isn't it которого?
Great memory! The verb ждать often takes the genitive case when you are waiting for something abstract or indefinite (like waiting for some train). However, when you are waiting for a specific, concrete object or person, it takes the accusative case. Since you are waiting for this exact, specific plane, the accusative is used.
Why does the accusative word который look exactly like the nominative case here?