Это святое место.

this

Breakdown of Это святое место.

• место: the place
• святой: holy; saintly

Questions & Answers about Это святое место.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

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

So:

• Это святое место. = This is a holy place.

There is no present-tense есть here in normal speech. Russian simply puts the subject-like element and the description next to each other.

Compare:

• Это дом. = This is a house.
• Она врач. = She is a doctor.

Russian does use forms of to be in the past and future:

• Это было святое место. = This was a holy place.
• Это будет святое место. = This will be a holy place.

What does это mean here?

Here, это means this or this is.

In sentences like this, это is very commonly used to identify or label something:

• Это школа. = This is a school.
• Это моя книга. = This is my book.

A useful thing to know: это does not change for gender or number in this kind of use.

So you can say:

• Это святое место. = This is a holy place.
• Это святая книга. = This is a holy book.
• Это святые места. = These are holy places.

Why is it святое, not святой or святая?