Breakdown of Я хочу купить два жёлтых пиона и три маленькие ромашки.
и
and
я
I
маленький
small
жёлтый
yellow
Questions & Answers about Я хочу купить два жёлтых пиона и три маленькие ромашки.
Why is the adjective жёлтых in the Genitive plural, but the noun пиона is in the Genitive singular?
This is the standard rule for masculine and neuter nouns following the numbers 2, 3, and 4 in the Nominative or inanimate Accusative cases. The noun takes the Genitive singular (пиона), but the adjective takes the Genitive plural (жёлтых).
Why do we use маленькие (Nominative plural) for the daisies instead of the Genitive plural like we did for the peonies?
Because ромашка is a feminine noun. When feminine nouns follow 2, 3, or 4, their adjectives usually take the Nominative plural (маленькие), even though the noun itself is in the Genitive singular. Using the Genitive plural adjective is technically allowed for feminine nouns, but the Nominative plural is much more common and natural.
Are the words два and три in the Nominative case here?
They are actually in the Accusative case because they are the direct objects of купить (to buy). However, because flowers are inanimate, the Accusative forms of the numbers 2, 3, and 4 are identical to their Nominative forms. The special adjective agreement rules you are learning apply to both Nominative and inanimate Accusative phrases.
I noticed ромашки is spelled exactly like its Nominative plural form. Is it plural here?