"Антон ждёт Анну" or "Антон ждёт Анны"?

Question

In a Russian language book called Поехали, there's an exercise where we are supposed to be complete a sentence, and we get: "Антон ждёт Анну".

I would translate this sentence as "Anton awaits / waits for Anna".

However, I consulted this wiktionary page, and it's stated that we should use the genitive case. This doesn't seem to be in accordance with the sentence above, since "Анну" is the accusative case... I would understand if we were dealing with a male person, since then the genitive and accusative would be equal, but in this case Анна is a female.

Answer 1

It's ждёт Анну since he not just waiting for any arbitrary Anna ;)

The thing is that "ждать" is governed by both Genitive and Accusative in Russian, depending on context. When you use "ждать" with some abstract noun, then it's Genitive, for instance:

• Ждать поезда - to wait for a train.
• Ждать письма - to wait for a letter.
• Ждать удачи - to wait for success.

When you use with some noun that in English most likely will be used with "the", that is, with something that is called in Russian reference "cуществительное с оттенком определённости" (with connotation of definitiveness), then it's Accusative, like in:

• Ждать поезд [Москва-Анапа] - to wait for the train.
• Ждать письмо [от сестры] - to wait for the letter.

Keep in mind that in colloquial speech some of the phrases are used interchangeably, the difference is very subtle. One can say "ждать удачу" or "ждать письма" while meaning some specific letter.

Answer 2

The verbs ждать and ожидать can require both cases: genitive and accusative. In case with a noun describing something animate, always use accusative.

Я ждал свою девушку( Анну, брата, собаку).

When the subject is inanimate and concrete, use accusative.

Я стоял на платформе, ожидая московский поезд.

Otherwise use genitive (see the previous answer)

Не жди от него писем, не жди.

Источник: грамота.ру