Thread: why genitive?

hi,
can someone tell me why пассажиров is in the genitive or accusative.

thanks

На Белорусском вокзале, например, взялись пассажиров обслуживать комплексно от приобретений билетов в любой конец света и обратно до организации различных туристических поездок -- и не только в поездах, но и автомобилем или самолётом.

It's accusative

кого? - пассажиров

The word пассажир is animated; the accusatve case of animated nouns is equal to genitive

"обслуживать" is transitive verb, it requires accusative.

Loose word order has confused you yet again, huh?

взялись = they began (the station workers, that is)

There's no subject in this sentence (it's only implied).

Пассажиров is the object here, not subject.

взялись пассажиров обслуживать... = they began to serve passengers...

how would you translate взялись?

thanks

Originally Posted by sperk

how would you translate взялись?

thanks

взяться - to take up, to begin, to start, to undertake

взяться can also be translated "get down to," "get a hold of," etc.