Breakdown of Он изучает язык, а также музыку.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
музыка
music
изучать
to study
язык
language
также
also, as well (formal)
Questions & Answers about Он изучает язык, а также музыку.
Why does the word for music end in -у (музыку) instead of -а?
Because it is the direct object of the verb изучает (studies), meaning the action is being done to it. This requires the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а like музыка, the ending changes to -у.
Wait, if музыку is in the accusative case, why didn't язык (language) change?
Язык is a masculine inanimate noun, meaning it is a thing, not a living being. In the accusative case, masculine inanimate nouns do not change their endings. They look exactly the same as they do in their dictionary form.
Could I just use и instead of а также?
Yes, you could just use и (and). However, а также is a common fixed phrase meaning 'and also' or 'as well as'. It highlights that music is an additional subject he studies alongside the language.
Why use изучает instead of учится?
Изучать means 'to study a subject' and requires a direct object (the thing being studied, like язык). Учиться means 'to be a student' or 'to study at a location' (like at a university), and it cannot take a direct object. Since we are explicitly naming the subjects he studies, we must use изучает.
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