English "it" is a single word doing four very different jobs, and Russian splits those jobs across four different strategies — including, crucially, the strategy of using no word at all. English speakers reliably go wrong here because they reach for a pronoun every time, producing things like Оно́ хо́лодно for "it's cold" — which no Russian would ever say. The cure is to stop translating the word "it" and instead ask *what job "it" is doing in the sentence. There are exactly four jobs, and each has its own answer: a real noun → он/она́/оно́; a pointing "this is…" → э́то; a weather/time/state dummy → nothing; and "it seems/turns out" → an impersonal verb.
Job 1: "it" stands for a specific noun → он / она́ / оно́
When "it" refers back to a particular noun already mentioned, use the third-person pronoun that matches that noun's grammatical gender: masculine → он, feminine → она́, neuter → оно́. (This is the same gender-matching covered for beginners on the subject pronouns.)
Где стол? — Он там.
Where's the table? — It's over there. — стол is masculine, so 'it' = он.
Тебе́ нра́вится э́та кни́га? — Да, она́ о́чень интере́сная.
Do you like this book? — Yes, it's very interesting. — кни́га is feminine → она́.
Где письмо́? — Оно́ на столе́.
Where's the letter? — It's on the table. — письмо́ is neuter → оно́.
The key word here is specific: "it" points back at a known noun, and the pronoun inherits that noun's gender. This is the only job where оно́ regularly appears — and even then only because some specific neuter noun (письмо́, окно́, мо́ре) is behind it.
Job 2: "it / this / that is…" → the frozen э́то
When "it" introduces or comments on something — "It is interesting," "That's my brother," "This is a problem" — Russian uses э́то, an invariable pointer. Here э́то does not agree with anything; it's frozen in this neuter-ish form regardless of what follows. It corresponds to English "this/that/it is…" used to identify or evaluate.
Э́то интере́сно.
It's interesting. / That's interesting. — frozen э́то + neuter short adjective.
Э́то мой брат.
This is my brother. / It's my brother. — э́то identifying a person; stays э́то even before a masculine noun.
Кто э́то? — Э́то на́ши сосе́ди.
Who's that? — Those are our neighbours. — э́то stays singular/frozen even before a plural.
Note the contrast with Job 1: when someone phones and you say "It's me," that's the evaluative pointer — Э́то я — not a gendered pronoun. The test: if you could replace "it" with "this/that" and still mean the same identifying/commenting thing, use э́то. The fuller behaviour of э́то as a demonstrative is on э́тот and тот.
Job 3: dummy "it" for weather, time, state → NOTHING
This is the job English speakers miss. In "It's cold," "It's getting dark," "It's late," "It's time to go," the word "it" is a grammatical placeholder — English requires a subject, so it inserts a meaningless "it." Russian has no such requirement. These impersonal sentences simply have no subject at all: the predicate stands alone.
Хо́лодно.
It's cold. — no subject, no 'it', no 'is'. Just the impersonal predicate.
На у́лице темне́ет.
It's getting dark outside. — subjectless impersonal verb; no 'it'.
Уже́ по́здно, пора́ домо́й.
It's already late, time to go home. — по́здно and пора́ both stand alone, subjectless.
Мне хо́лодно.
I'm cold (lit. 'to me [it is] cold'). — the experiencer goes in the dative; still no nominative subject, no 'it'.
These cover the whole domain of weather (Жа́рко "it's hot," Идёт дождь "it's raining"), time (Семь часо́в "it's seven o'clock"), and physical/emotional states (Гру́стно "it's sad / I feel sad," Тру́дно "it's hard"). In every case, inserting a pronoun for "it" is the error. The experiencer, if any, goes in the dative (Мне ску́чно "I'm bored"), never in a subject slot.
Job 4: "it seems / turns out / happens" → impersonal verbs
A small set of verbs and parentheticals express "it seems," "it turns out," "it happens" — and here too Russian uses an impersonal construction with no "it." The clause that follows is the logical content; there's no dummy subject in front of the verb.
Ка́жется, он опа́здывает.
It seems he's running late. — ка́жется stands alone; no 'it'. (Add мне for 'it seems to me'.)
Оказа́лось, что вы́ход был совсе́м ря́дом.
It turned out the exit was right nearby. — оказа́лось, no subject pronoun.
Случа́ется, что по́езд опа́здывает.
It happens that the train is late. — случа́ется impersonally; no 'it'.
To say "it seems to me," add the dative experiencer: Мне ка́жется, что… — but still no word for "it." The shape of these is exactly Job 3's: a lone predicate, optional dative experiencer, no nominative subject. See the personal pronoun declension for the dative forms (мне, тебе́, ему́…) used as the experiencer.
A decision guide
| English "it" is… | Russian | Example |
|---|---|---|
| standing for a specific noun | он / она́ / оно́ (by gender) | Где стол? — Он там. |
| "it / this / that is…" (identify/evaluate) | э́то (frozen) | Э́то интере́сно. |
| weather / time / state dummy | nothing | Хо́лодно. Уже́ по́здно. |
| "it seems / turns out / happens" | impersonal verb, no "it" | Ка́жется, он прав. |
Common Mistakes
❌ Оно́ хо́лодно.
The cardinal error — weather 'it' is a dummy with no Russian equivalent. Just say Хо́лодно.
✅ Хо́лодно.
It's cold.
❌ Оно́ интере́сно.
Wrong — for 'it is interesting' as a comment, use the frozen pointer э́то, not оно́.
✅ Э́то интере́сно.
It's interesting.
❌ Он по́здно. (meaning 'it's late')
Wrong — 'it's late' is a subjectless time-state; no pronoun at all: Уже́ по́здно.
✅ Уже́ по́здно.
It's already late.
❌ Оно́ ка́жется, что он прав.
Wrong — 'it seems' is impersonal with no 'it'. Just Ка́жется, он прав (or Мне ка́жется…).
✅ Ка́жется, он прав.
It seems he's right.
❌ Где письмо́? — Э́то на столе́.
Wrong — pointing back at a specific neuter noun needs the gendered оно́, not the evaluative э́то.
✅ Где письмо́? — Оно́ на столе́.
Where's the letter? — It's on the table.
Key Takeaways
- Don't translate the word "it" — translate its job. There are four jobs, four answers.
- Specific noun → он / она́ / оно́ matching the noun's grammatical gender (стол → он).
- "This/that/it is…" (identifying or evaluating) → the frozen э́то, which ignores gender and number (Э́то интере́сно; Э́то мой брат; Э́то на́ши сосе́ди).
- Weather, time, states → no subject at all (Хо́лодно; Темне́ет; Уже́ по́здно; Пора́). Experiencer in the dative (Мне хо́лодно).
- "It seems / turns out / happens" → impersonal verb, no "it" (Ка́жется…; Оказа́лось…). "To me" = dative (Мне ка́жется).
- The signature beginner error is the phantom оно́ in weather/state sentences — there is no "it" there at all.
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Start learning Russian→Related Topics
- Personal Pronouns and Their DeclensionA1 — The full system of Russian personal pronouns — я, ты, он, она́, оно́, мы, вы, они́ — declined across all six cases (я → меня́, мне, мной, обо мне; они́ → их, им, и́ми, них). Covers the obligatory н- that third-person pronouns add after a preposition (его́ кни́га but у него́), the fact that он/она́/оно́ refer to grammatically gendered things (Где стол? — Он там), and why Russian — unlike Spanish or Italian — usually keeps its subject pronouns rather than dropping them.
- I, You, He, She: The Subject PronounsA1 — Your first-week guide to the Russian subject (nominative) pronouns: я, ты, он, она́, оно́, мы, вы, они́. он and она́ stand in for any masculine or feminine NOUN by grammatical gender (стол → он, кни́га → она́), not just for people. Introduces the everyday ты/вы choice and the fact that present-tense sentences need no word for 'is': Я студе́нт, Он до́ма, Они́ здесь.
- Demonstratives: Этот and ТотA1 — э́тот ('this', near) and тот ('that', far/other) decline like adjectives (э́тот/э́та/э́то/э́ти, тот/та/то/те; э́того, э́той, тем, те́ми). The big trap: the agreeing neuter э́то ('this window' = э́то окно́) versus the invariable presentational э́то ('this is…': Э́то моя́ сестра́, Э́то кни́ги), which never changes before any noun. Full tables, fixed uses of тот (тот же, тот, кто, не тот), and the Э́то моя́ кни́га / Э́та кни́га моя́ contrast.