"He" or "it"?
Since 2016, drinking coffee in both the masculine and neuter genders is considered correct. But many people get annoyed when others say “my coffee” instead of “mine.” According to the latest changes affecting the official dictionary, you can say “delicious” and “delicious”.
But it is better to adhere to the correct form of using the word “coffee” in spoken and written speech. This is important when a specialist prepares a drink. It is necessary to specify which one to serve: freshly brewed or freshly brewed. The first option is freshly ground grains, filled with water and boiled in a Turk. The second option is to pour the finished powder from a jar with boiling water and infuse it.
What to treat - “coffee” or “coffee”?
This is a word that came from abroad. Words borrowed from foreign languages remain unchanged in the singular and plural if they end in -e and -o. They cannot be inclined not only in writing, but also in oral speech.
Examples of misspelled words:
- coffee is too bitter;
- I want coffee;
- Mom made delicious coffee;
- you have condensed milk with coffee;
- I splashed myself with coffee.
Correct usage:
- coffee is too strong;
- the coffee has already cooled down;
- waiter, please, one coffee;
- add more coffee.
In literary language, the word “coffee” is masculine. Everyone should learn this.
Coffee shop owners, baristas and anyone who views their favorite drink from a professional point of view will never allow themselves to say “it”. Only "he".
A little history
Over time, people began to change the endings and decline in borrowed words. Nouns ending in “e” have become the subject of endless debate. The name of this tonic drink, beloved by many, is borrowed from the English language. According to other sources - from the Netherlands. Coffee is a masculine word. Initially, the drink was called “coffee” or “coffee”.
Over time, the word “coffee” has undergone changes - it began to end with the letter “e”. As a result, a lot of misunderstandings arose and endless disputes began. Previously, schoolchildren were taught that the drink was masculine and they should say “he” and not change numbers and cases. Now is coffee “it”?
What does this word mean?
In modern Russian there are several meanings of the word “coffee”:
- A plant that produces large fruits with grains.
- Beans that are obtained after processing the fruits collected from the coffee tree.
- Ground grain powder.
- A drink that is brewed or infused.
- An extract from ground beans that serves as the basis for the production of instant coffee drinks.
The word retains the masculine gender, singular number and invariable case in all meanings: natural, ground, soluble.
Correct spelling: “coffee” or “coffee”
This word is used quite often in everyday speech, but its spelling causes certain difficulties.
Let's figure this out.
There are two spelling options for the analyzed word:
- “coffee”, where the word is not inflected,
- “coffee”, where the word takes a case form.
Which is correct to spell: “coffee” or “coffee”?
According to the spelling norm of the Russian language, the first option is correct:
Let's observe the case forms of this creature
- And. n. who? (what?) coffee, coffee
- R. n. who? (what?) coffee, coffee
- d.p. to whom? (what?) coffee, coffee
- V. n. who? (what?) coffee, coffee
- etc. by whom? (what?) coffee, coffee
- p.p. about whom? (about what?) coffee, coffee
As we see, this word is not declined and is used in all forms, as in the nominative singular case.
Note that currently it is also possible to use the word “coffee” in the neuter form.
- my coffee
- my coffee
Examples for reinforcement:
- My coffee was already cold and I ordered fresh.
- I sent my son to get instant coffee.
- This restaurant serves the most delicious coffee.
What has changed in Russian dictionaries
In 2009, several dictionaries were released, which caused confusion among the linguistic community. A team of authors: Cheptsova, Sazonova and Bukchina published a spelling dictionary, where the masculine and neuter genders are indicated next to the word “coffee”. The authors refer to the Big Academic Dictionary, where this word is used in oral speech in the neuter gender. Philologists believed that this did not contradict the rules of the Russian language.
An attempt to classify coffee as a neuter word was unsuccessful. The innovation did not last. Ordinary citizens, teachers and writers who learned from childhood that they should say “mine” and not “mine”, and did not accept the new rule. The masculine gender has been assigned to this noun to this day.
“Treat coffee” or “treat coffee”?
History shows that language is very mobile and changes according to time. Some words and rules fall out of use, while others undergo changes. This is what happened with the name of the tart hot drink. The rules for using this word have changed along with our language, and in the 21st century it has again undergone changes, which now cause some difficulties.
So what would be correct: “treat me to coffee” or “treat me to coffee”?
How to spell it correctly?
The correct way to use it is COFFEE.
According to the rules of the Russian language, declension of this word by case is unacceptable.
- offer coffee;
- quench your thirst for coffee;
- bring dessert with coffee.
What kind of word "coffee" is in Russian?
The word appeared in the Russian language in the 17th century during the reign of Peter I. It came along with the hot drink of the same name. In the dictionaries of that time the following forms of usage are found: “coffee” or “coffee”.
Accordingly, the gender of words is defined as masculine.
Over time, the letter “th” disappeared, but the generic affiliation remained. Hence the contradiction that we do not understand. The literary norm is to use the word in the masculine gender. Confirmation can be found in the works of classics: A.S. Pushkina, N.V. Gogol, L.N. Tolstoy.
In 2016, the Ministry of Education made a controversial decision, approving the standards of the modern Russian language. The changes made seemed inappropriate to adherents of the literary language. The word “coffee” has become one of the controversial issues. In modern approved dictionaries, its use in the neuter gender is allowed, according to the realities of our time.
Despite the possibility of two variants of use, the case declension remains unchanged. Words borrowed from another language and ending in “-e” or “-o” remain in the nominative singular case in any form.
- I asked the waiter to bring strong coffee.
- I like to eat oatmeal for breakfast and always with coffee.
Etymology of the word "coffee"
The word came to us from the Arabic language (qahwah), where it meant a wine drink. Appeared in European languages through Turkish kahve.
It appeared in Russian in the 17th century and originally sounded like coffee or coffee.
Which is correct: “grinds coffee”, “grinds coffee” or “grinds coffee”
The drink is prepared from coffee beans that are pre-ground. And here the question arises: how to correctly agree the verb with the noun “coffee”.
- I grind coffee;
- you grind coffee;
- you grind coffee;
- onona grinds coffee;
- they grind coffee.
Despite the fact that since 2016 both forms of use are considered acceptable: masculine and neuter, most people continue to use it as in classical literature (masculine).
It is important to remember that, regardless of gender, the word is not declined according to cases. Remains in singular and nominative case.
