Это настоящее чудо.

In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• Это настоящее чудо. = This/It is a real miracle.

There is no word corresponding to English is here, but the sentence is completely normal and natural in Russian.

Compare:

• Это чудо. = It/This is a miracle.
• Это было чудо. = It was a miracle.
• Это будет чудо. = It will be a miracle.

In the past and future, forms of быть appear, but in the present they normally do not.

Это can mean either this or it, depending on context.

In a sentence like Это настоящее чудо, it often works like:

• This is a real miracle
• It’s a real miracle

Russian uses это very broadly for identifying or commenting on something.

A useful way to think about it is:

• это = this / that / it in many neutral statements

For example:

• Это мой брат. = This is my brother.
• Это интересно. = It is interesting.
• Что это? = What is this?

So the exact English translation depends on the situation, not just the word by itself.

Because it agrees with чудо, which is a neuter singular noun.

Russian adjectives must match the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• чудо is neuter
• singular
• in the nominative case

So the adjective must also be neuter singular nominative:

• masculine: настоящий
• feminine: настоящая
• neuter: настоящее
• plural: настоящие

That is why we get:

• настоящее чудо = a real / genuine miracle

Because чудо is simply a noun that belongs to the neuter gender in Russian.

A common clue is the ending:

• many neuter nouns end in -о or -е

So чудо is neuter, just like:

• слово = word
• место = place
• море = sea

This matters because adjectives and some pronouns must agree with the noun’s gender, which is why we say:

• настоящее чудо

not:

• настоящий чудо
• настоящая чудо

All of those are possible depending on context.

In Это настоящее чудо, настоящее means something like:

• real
• true
• genuine

In natural English, a real miracle is usually the best translation.

The adjective настоящий / настоящая / настоящее often means:

• authentic
• genuine
• real
• true

Examples:

• настоящий друг = a true real friend
• настоящее золото = real gold
• это настоящая проблема = this is a real problem

So in this sentence, it adds emphasis: not just a miracle, but a genuine miracle.

Yes, Это чудо is absolutely correct.

Compare:

• Это чудо. = It/This is a miracle.
• Это настоящее чудо. = It/This is a real miracle.

So настоящее adds emphasis and emotional force. It makes the statement stronger, as if the speaker is saying:

• This is truly amazing
• This is nothing short of a miracle

Russian often uses adjectives like this for emphasis.

Because this is an equational sentence, where one thing is identified as another:

• Это = this/it
• настоящее чудо = a real miracle

The noun phrase настоящее чудо is in the nominative case because it functions as the main predicate noun in a present-tense statement of identity/classification.

For learners, the key point is simple:

• after Это ... in this kind of sentence, Russian often uses the nominative

So:

• Это книга. = This is a book.
• Это проблема. = This is a problem.
• Это настоящее чудо. = This is a real miracle.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, though not all versions sound equally neutral.

The most neutral order is:

• Это настоящее чудо.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• Настоящее чудо это.
• Чудо это настоящее.

But these sound marked, poetic, contrastive, or less natural in everyday speech.

For a learner, the safest version is definitely:

• Это настоящее чудо.

Russian changes word order mainly for:

• emphasis
• topic/focus
• style

So while other orders may occur, this standard one is the best to learn first.

A careful pronunciation is:

• Э́то настоя́щее чу́до.

Stress falls on:

• Э́то
• настоя́щее
• чу́до

A rough English-style approximation might be:

• EH-tuh nuh-sta-YAH-shchee CHOO-duh

A few notes:

• ч sounds like ch in chair
• у sounds like oo in boot
• unstressed о is often reduced in pronunciation

So although it is spelled чудо, it sounds closer to CHOO-duh than CHOO-doh.

People really do say it. It is completely natural Russian.

It can be used in everyday speech when something is surprisingly good, lucky, beautiful, or unlikely:

• a child recovers quickly
• a difficult plan succeeds
• something works perfectly
• someone behaves wonderfully

It can be:

• sincere
• emotional
• admiring
• slightly dramatic

So it is not overly formal or unnatural. It is a normal, idiomatic sentence.

Usually, if you want the meaning This/It is a real miracle, keeping это is the most natural choice.

• Это настоящее чудо. = normal and complete

If you say only:

• Настоящее чудо!

that becomes more like an exclamation:

• A real miracle!
• What a miracle!

So dropping это changes the feel of the sentence. It becomes less of a full neutral statement and more of an emotional reaction.