Apparently, there is a number of verbs that may require either an accusative or genitive object, depending on their nature.
- If it's a specific, concrete object, the accusative would apply: I wait for the bus = Я жду автобус (accusative masculine inanimate, as I'm waiting for a specific bus);
- I wait for peace = Я жду мира (genitive masculine, as it is more conceptual, less defined). Other verbs with the same behaviour include:
- бояться (to fear, to be afraid of – for this verb, we would only use the accusative when we are afraid of a given person);
- добиваться (to reach);
- достигать (to achieve);
- ждать (to wait);
- желать (rather in the sense of “to desire”, than “to wish”);
- искать (to look for);
- ожидать (to expect);
- просить (to ask, to request);
- требовать (to demand);
- хотеть (to want).
My question is twofold:
a) Am I forgetting some other verbs with the same behaviour or is the above list exhaustive?
b) Would this rule also apply to the imperfective/perfective pair of each of the above verbs?
What about, for example, the following pairs:
- спрашивать/спросить (to ask, to inquire);
- требоваться/потребоваться (to be required);
- хотеться/захотеться (to feel like).
Would they also follow the same pattern?
