Breakdown of Страна происхождения указана в таможенной декларации.
Questions & Answers about Страна происхождения указана в таможенной декларации.
Why is it страна происхождения and not some other case combination?
Because страна is the main noun, so it appears in the nominative singular: страна.
The word происхождения is in the genitive singular because Russian often uses the pattern:
- noun + genitive noun
to express something like X of Y.
So:
- страна происхождения = country of origin
- literally: country of origin/of coming from
This is a standard Russian noun phrase, especially in formal or official language.
What case is происхождения, and why?
Происхождения is genitive singular.
Its dictionary form is происхождение. Here it changes to происхождения because it depends on страна and specifies what kind of country it is:
- страна происхождения = country of origin
This is similar to other Russian expressions like:
- центр города = city center
- номер паспорта = passport number
- дата рождения = date of birth
So the genitive here is not showing possession in the narrow English sense; it is just a very common way to connect nouns.
Why is it указана and not указан or указано?
Because указана agrees with страна, which is:
- feminine
- singular
So the form must also be feminine singular.
Here are the matching short-form patterns:
- masculine: указан
- feminine: указана
- neuter: указано
- plural: указаны
Examples:
- Адрес указан.
- Страна указана.
- Место указано.
- Данные указаны.
Since страна is feminine, указана is the correct form.
What exactly is указана grammatically?
Указана is the short-form passive participle of указать.
In sentences like this, it works very much like a predicate and is often translated as:
- is indicated
- is stated
- is specified
- is listed
So Страна происхождения указана... means something like:
- The country of origin is indicated/stated/listed...
This short-form participle is very common in official, written, and bureaucratic Russian.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.
So where English says:
- The country of origin is indicated...
Russian simply says:
- Страна происхождения указана...
That is normal.
Compare:
- Он врач. = He is a doctor.
- Документ готов. = The document is ready.
- Страна происхождения указана. = The country of origin is indicated.
If you wanted the past or future, forms of быть would appear:
- Страна происхождения была указана... = was indicated
- Страна происхождения будет указана... = will be indicated
What case is в таможенной декларации?
It is the prepositional case after в, because here в means in in the sense of location.
So:
- в декларации = in the declaration
- в таможенной декларации = in the customs declaration
The noun декларация becomes:
- nominative: декларация
- prepositional: декларации
And the adjective таможенная changes to match it:
- nominative feminine singular: таможенная
- prepositional feminine singular: таможенной
Why does таможенная become таможенной?
Because adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in:
- gender
- number
- case
Here the noun is декларации, which is:
- feminine
- singular
- prepositional
So the adjective must also be feminine singular prepositional:
- таможенной
You can think of the phrase as:
- в таможенной декларации
- in the customs declaration
where both words are in the same case.
Is страна происхождения a fixed expression?
Yes, very much so.
It is the standard formal way to say country of origin, especially in contexts like:
- customs forms
- shipping documents
- product labels
- import/export paperwork
A learner should treat страна происхождения as a common set phrase.
Could Russian also say указывается instead of указана?
Yes, but the meaning and style shift a little.
- Страна происхождения указана в таможенной декларации. = The country of origin is indicated/listed in the customs declaration.
This sounds like a statement about a completed fact or about what the document contains.
- Страна происхождения указывается в таможенной декларации. = The country of origin is indicated/is to be indicated in the customs declaration.
This can sound more like a general rule, instruction, or standard procedure.
So:
- указана = the information is there
- указывается = this is what is indicated / should be indicated as a rule
Can the word order change?
Yes. Russian word order is flexible, although the neutral order here is perfectly natural:
- Страна происхождения указана в таможенной декларации.
Other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:
- В таможенной декларации указана страна происхождения.
This version puts more focus on where the information is found: in the customs declaration.
So the sentence can be rearranged, but the original word order is standard and natural in formal writing.
Why not say происхождение страны?
Because that would mean something different.
- страна происхождения = country of origin
- происхождение страны = the origin of the country
The second phrase sounds like you are talking about how a country itself came into being historically. That is not the intended meaning here.
So for customs or product documentation, страна происхождения is the correct phrase.
Is this sentence formal or everyday Russian?
It is definitely formal/official in tone.
Words and structures like:
- страна происхождения
- указана
- таможенная декларация
are very typical of bureaucratic, legal, administrative, or technical language.
In everyday speech, a person might phrase the idea more simply depending on context, but on forms, labels, and official documents, this sentence sounds completely normal.
Where is the stress in this sentence?
The standard stress is:
- странá происхождéния указáна в тамóженной деклара́ции
Word by word:
- странá
- происхождéния
- указáна
- тамóженной
- деклара́ции
Stress is important in Russian pronunciation, so it is worth learning these forms together with the sentence.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning RussianMaster Russian — from Страна происхождения указана в таможенной декларации to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions