Э́то is / These are: The Э́то Sentence | Russian Grammar

This is the first complete Russian sentence most learners can say, and it's genuinely powerful: point at anything and name it with Э́то + a noun. Э́то стол means "this is a table"; Э́то моя́ сестра́ means "this is my sister." Two things make it remarkably easy for an English speaker — there is no verb "to be" in the Russian present, and the presentational э́то never changes its form. This page shows you the pattern, how to negate it, and how to ask the matching questions.

The pattern: Э́то + noun

To say "this/that is [something]," you put э́то in front of a noun in its plain (nominative) form. That's the whole sentence — no verb needed.

Э́то стол.

This is a table. (Э́то + the noun стол — a complete sentence, with no verb)

Э́то моя́ сестра́.

This is my sister.

Э́то наш дом.

This is our house.

English forces a verb here — "this is a table." Russian simply omits it in the present tense: Э́то стол, literally "this — table." The pause where English puts "is" is filled by nothing at all (in writing, sometimes by a dash, but not with э́то).

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There is no present-tense "to be" in Russian. "This is a table" is just Э́то стол — two words, no verb. English makes you say "is"; Russian leaves a clean gap. See the copula and nominal sentences for the full story on the missing verb.

Э́то never changes — it covers this, that, it, these, those

Here's the part that surprises learners. The э́то in this pattern is frozen. It does not change for gender, and it does not change for number. The same э́то works whether you're pointing at a masculine noun, a feminine noun, a neuter noun, or a whole pile of things in the plural.

Э́то стол.

This is a table. (стол is masculine — э́то stays э́то)

Э́то кни́га.

This is a book. (кни́га is feminine — э́то still stays э́то)

Э́то кни́ги.

These are books. (plural — э́то STILL doesn't change; English switches to 'these are', Russian keeps э́то)

That last example is the key one. English makes you choose between "this is" (singular) and "these are" (plural); Russian uses the same э́то for both. One word covers "this is," "that is," "it is," "these are," and "those are." This is the presentational э́то — a fixed pointing word, not an adjective that agrees with anything. (Contrast it with the demonstrative э́то in э́тот/э́та/э́то that does change — covered on presentational э́то.)

Negation: Э́то не...

To say "this is not [something]," put не right before the noun: Э́то не + noun.

Э́то не стол, а стул.

This isn't a table, it's a chair. (Э́то не..., then а to correct it)

Э́то не моя́ су́мка.

This isn't my bag.

The э́то stays frozen here too, and there's still no verb. Just slot не in front of the thing you're denying.

Questions: Что э́то? and Кто э́то?

To ask what something is, use Что э́то? ("What is this?"); for a person, use Кто э́то? ("Who is this?"). The э́то still doesn't change, and the word order stays the same — you just add the question word and a rising tone.

— Что э́то? — Э́то телефо́н.

— What is this? — It's a phone.

— Кто э́то? — Э́то мой брат.

— Who is this? — This is my brother.

— Что э́то? — Э́то пода́рок для тебя́.

— What is this? — It's a present for you.

Notice you don't flip any words to ask: Что э́то? is literally "what this?" — the question word, then the frozen э́то. The answer mirrors it: Э́то + noun.

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The э́то sentence is the simplest complete sentence in Russian: a pointing word plus a noun, with no verb and nothing to make agree. Master Э́то + noun and you can name everything around you on day one. It's the natural companion to the basic simple sentence.

Common Mistakes

❌ Э́ти кни́ги. (meaning 'these are books')

Wrong — for 'these are books' the presentational э́то stays frozen: Э́то кни́ги. (Э́ти кни́ги means 'these books' as a phrase, with no 'are'.)

✅ Э́то кни́ги.

These are books. (э́то never changes for the plural)

❌ Э́то есть стол.

Wrong — there's no present-tense 'to be'. Don't insert есть here; just say Э́то стол.

✅ Э́то стол.

This is a table.

❌ Э́та моя́ сестра́. (meaning 'this is my sister')

Wrong word — the presentational pointing word is э́то, not э́та. (Э́та would be the agreeing demonstrative inside a phrase.)

✅ Э́то моя́ сестра́.

This is my sister.

❌ Э́то не есть моя́ су́мка.

Wrong — to negate, just put не before the noun: Э́то не моя́ су́мка. There's no verb to negate.

✅ Э́то не моя́ су́мка.

This isn't my bag.

Key Takeaways

Э́то + noun = "this/that/it is + noun" — a complete sentence with no verb.
The presentational э́то is frozen: it never changes for gender or number. The same э́то covers "this is," "that is," "it is," and "these are" (Э́то стол, Э́то кни́га, Э́то кни́ги).
There is no present-tense "to be" — don't insert есть.
Negate with Э́то не... (Э́то не стол); ask with Что э́то? / Кто э́то?
This is the simplest complete sentence in Russian — your day-one tool for naming everything.

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