Thread: Inanimate/Animate Nouns

Two questions:

1. I have studied accusative case declension of inanimate/animate nouns in masculine and feminine. I have studied different declension tables, and some places mention animate of neuter nouns.

Is neuter animate uncommon? I haven't seen any nouns yet.
Please give some examples.

2. When should I consider a noun as animate and inanimate, e.g. of living objects: a fly, a bacteria, a cell, an amoeba??
Where does the limit go?

Animate nouns are "who"-nouns. (Человек, мышь, животное)
Inanimate nouns are "what"-nouns. (Кровать, снег, облако)

The neuter animate are not wide-spread but are derivable from other nouns or adjectives. They are ending in -о, and -e: насекомое, животное, чудовище, детище, лицо (in the meaning of a person), существо etc.

There are some more nuances for this rule...

Ok. Thanks

Another question:
Is animate neuter nouns unchanged (Acc=Nom) in accusative like other neuter nouns, or declined as masculine nouns (Acc=Gen)? насекомоя?

Originally Posted by jz12

Ok. Thanks

Another question:
Is animate neuter nouns unchanged (Acc=Nom) in accusative like other neuter nouns, or declined as masculine nouns (Acc=Gen)? насекомоя?

I'm not sure.

But if neut. animate = gen, it would be насекомого. насекомое is an adjective in form, so has adjectival ending. But it functions as a noun.

Yeah, I like those nouns like насекомое insect, животное animal, дитё child(archaic). And then we have мертвец corpse and покойник deceased, which are still among the animate, whereas труп dead body is really dead, I mean inanimate.

In the plural, humans and animals of all genders are animate:
Я вижу мальчиков, девочек, ослов, и насекомых.
I see boys, girls, donkeys, and insects.

Perhaps prophetically, войска 'troops' is inanimate.

This is from my favorite reference grammar A Comprehensive Russian Grammar by Terence Wade.

Originally Posted by jz12

Ok. Thanks

Another question:
Is animate neuter nouns unchanged (Acc=Nom) in accusative like other neuter nouns, or declined as masculine nouns (Acc=Gen)? насекомоя?

They are unchanged (Acc=Nom), e.g. "Обернись! Я вижу громадное насекомое у тебя за спиной!"

Originally Posted by Vadim84

Originally Posted by jz12

Ok. Thanks

Another question:
Is animate neuter nouns unchanged (Acc=Nom) in accusative like other neuter nouns, or declined as masculine nouns (Acc=Gen)? насекомоя?

They are unchanged (Acc=Nom), e.g. "Обернись! Я вижу громадное насекомое у тебя за спиной!"

Not authentic sentence, though. I hardly imagine a person saying another to turn over just becuase a "huge insect" is after him/her.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Originally Posted by Vadim84

Originally Posted by jz12

Ok. Thanks

Another question:
Is animate neuter nouns unchanged (Acc=Nom) in accusative like other neuter nouns, or declined as masculine nouns (Acc=Gen)? насекомоя?

They are unchanged (Acc=Nom), e.g. "Обернись! Я вижу громадное насекомое у тебя за спиной!"

Not authentic sentence, though. I hardly imagine a person saying another to turn over just becuase a "huge insect" is after him/her.

Don't you see I was being ironic? I meant a giant mutated insect.

You forgot to put a smiley!

Yeah! Of course! насекомое is like adjective.

If насекомое is unchanged in acc, I wonder why some mention inanimate/animate for neuter. Some do not.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Rtyom

You forgot to put a smiley!

Теперь доволен? Подсчитывай теперь, сколько траффика я у тебя отнял

You are mean! I'll go hang myself!!!