Breakdown of Когда я завтракаю, я слушаю музыку.
я
I
музыка
music
завтракать
to have breakfast
слушать
to listen
когда
when
Questions & Answers about Когда я завтракаю, я слушаю музыку.
Why is 'have breakfast' written as just one word (завтракаю)?
In Russian, meals are often expressed as verbs rather than 'to have' plus a noun. The verb завтракать means 'to eat breakfast'. Translating literally to something like 'я имею завтрак' sounds very unnatural to a Russian speaker.
Where is the word for 'to' in 'listen to music'?
The verb слушать (to listen) takes a direct object without needing a preposition. While in English we say 'listen to music', in Russian you connect the verb directly to the object, so no extra word is needed before музыку.
Why is the word for music spelled музыку instead of музыка?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the sentence (the thing being listened to). For feminine nouns ending in -а like музыка, the ending changes to -у in the accusative case.
Is the comma before the second я required?
Yes! In Russian, you must always place a comma between two clauses, which are parts of a sentence that each have their own subject and verb. Here, the comma separates the first action (я завтракаю) from the second action (я слушаю).
Learn Когда я завтракаю, я слушаю музыку 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