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Lesson 31

"Expressing Likes with 'люблю'"

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Здравствуйте!

In our last lesson, you did a great job learning how to use verbs like читать (to read) and смотреть (to watch) with direct objects in the accusative case. We saw that to express an action done to an object, the object noun often needs to change its ending.

Today, we're going to focus on one of the most useful verbs for expressing your personality and interests: любить (to love/like). You'll learn how to use it to talk about both the things you enjoy (like video games or music) and the activities you enjoy (like drawing or writing). This will be a major step in being able to have more natural, personal conversations.

1. How to Say You Love a "Thing"

When you love a noun (a person, place, or thing), the structure is simple:

Я люблю (I love) + Noun in the Accusative Case

You've already learned the basic rules for the inanimate accusative case, but let's quickly review them in the context of любить:

  • Masculine nouns (ending in a consonant) and Neuter nouns (ending in -о/-е) do not change.
  • Feminine nouns change their endings: -а becomes -у, and -я becomes -ю.

To see this in action and hear the correct pronunciation, let's watch a video that explains this rule clearly with lots of examples.

344. Я люблю + Accusative case

The video 'Я люблю + Accusative case' from the 'Russian with Nastya' channel is perfect for this. The presenter, Nastya, will walk you through exactly how different nouns change (or don't change) after 'люблю'.

Please watch from the beginning until 18:40. The first part (00:15 - 02:37) explains the core rule for feminine nouns. The next part (02:37 - 11:36) provides many examples with feminine nouns like пицца -> пиццу and музыка -> музыку. The final segment (11:36 - 18:40) shows that masculine and neuter nouns like чай, борщ, теннис, and кино do not change.

Here is a summary of the rules you just saw, which should look familiar from our previous lessons. The verb люблю is one of the key triggers for these changes.

Russian Accusative Case Explanation
This image provides a helpful visual summary of when to use the accusative case. Notice that `люблю` is one of the verbs listed that requires the object to be in the accusative form. It clearly contrasts the nominative (subject) form with the accusative (object) form.

2. How to Say You Love an "Action"

What if you want to say you love doing something, like "I love to draw" or "I love to watch movies"? This is even easier! You don't need to worry about case endings. The structure is:

Я люблю (I love) + Verb in its Infinitive Form

The infinitive is the basic, "dictionary" form of a verb, which usually ends in -ть.

Let's look at a few examples from a concise lesson guide.

I Love... - Russian Language Lesson 7

The resource 'I Love... - Russian Language Lesson 7' on RussianLessons.net has a very clear explanation of this structure.

Please read the short section that starts with 'Sometime you will want to talk about an action.' Focus on the two key examples: 'Я люблю читать' (I love to read) and 'Я люблю путешествовать' (I love to travel).

So, to talk about your hobbies of writing and illustration, you would say:

  • Я люблю писать. (I love to write.)
  • Я люблю рисовать. (I love to draw.)

Simple, right? The second verb just stays in its infinitive form.

3. Practice: Talking About Your Hobbies

Now let's put it all together. Since you're interested in video games, writing, and illustration, let's build some sentences you can actually use.

Relevant Vocabulary:

  • Видеоигры (pl.) - Video games
  • Искусство (n.) - Art
  • Музыка (f.) - Music
  • Фильмы (pl.) - Movies
  • Книги (pl.) - Books
  • Читать (v.) - To read
  • Смотреть (v.) - To watch
  • Играть в... (v.) - To play (a game)
  • Рисовать (v.) - To draw

Activity: Your Turn

Combine Я люблю with the word(s) in parentheses to form a correct sentence. Decide whether you need the accusative case (for a noun) or an infinitive (for a verb).

  1. Я люблю ... (музыка).
  2. Я люблю ... (рисовать).
  3. Я люблю ... (искусство).
  4. Я люблю ... (играть в видеоигры).
  5. Я люблю ... (интересная книга). -> Remember to change both the adjective and the noun!
Click to check your answers
  1. Я люблю музыку. (музыка is feminine, so -а -> -у)
  2. Я люблю рисовать. (рисовать is a verb, so we use the infinitive)
  3. Я люблю искусство. (искусство is neuter, so no change)
  4. Я люблю играть в видеоигры. (играть is a verb, so we use the infinitive)
  5. Я люблю интересную книгу. (Feminine adjective and noun both change to the accusative: интересная -> интересную, книга -> книгу)

Conclusion

Excellent work! Today you've mastered a crucial structure for expressing your personal tastes in Russian.

Key Takeaways:

  • To say you love a thing, use Я люблю + Noun in Accusative Case.
    • Example: Я люблю русскую музыку. (I love Russian music.)
  • To say you love an action, use Я люблю + Verb in Infinitive Form.
    • Example: Я люблю слушать русскую музыку. (I love to listen to Russian music.)

This pattern is fundamental for talking about your hobbies and preferences, making your Russian sound much more natural and personal.

Preview of the next lesson:
We'll continue building on this theme of expressing personal preferences. In the next lesson, you'll learn how to use the verb хотеть (to want). This will allow you to talk about your desires and plans, using very similar structures: хочу + noun and хочу + infinitive.