Breakdown of Постер и отпечаток имеют одинаковый размер.
Questions & Answers about Постер и отпечаток имеют одинаковый размер.
Why is the verb имеют plural if постер and отпечаток are both singular?
Because they form a compound subject: Постер и отпечаток = the poster and the print.
In Russian, two singular nouns joined by и normally take a plural verb, so:
- постер и отпечаток имеют
- not постер и отпечаток имеет
So имеют is the correct 3rd person plural form of иметь.
Why is it одинаковый размер and not одинаковые размеры?
Russian is treating size as one shared property.
The idea is not they have same sizes but they have the same size. So Russian uses the singular:
- одинаковый размер = the same size
Also, одинаковый is singular because it agrees with размер, not with постер и отпечаток.
Why does одинаковый stay singular even though there are two things being compared?
Because одинаковый describes размер, not the two objects directly.
Structure:
- Постер и отпечаток = subject
- имеют = verb
- одинаковый размер = object phrase
So одинаковый must match размер:
- masculine
- singular
- accusative
If you described the poster and print themselves, then you could get a plural adjective, for example:
- Постер и отпечаток одинаковые по размеру.
There одинаковые refers to the two objects, so it is plural.
Why is размер in this form after имеют?
Because иметь takes a direct object, and direct objects usually go in the accusative case.
So размер here is accusative singular.
However, размер is a masculine inanimate noun, and for nouns like that, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular. So you see:
- nominative: размер
- accusative: размер
The form does not change, even though the case does.
What case are постер and отпечаток in?
They are both in the nominative singular, because they are the subject of the sentence.
So the basic structure is:
- Постер и отпечаток — nominative subject
- имеют — plural verb
- одинаковый размер — accusative object
Why use одинаковый here? Could I use тот же instead?
Usually одинаковый is the better choice here.
- одинаковый = the same / identical in value, quality, size, shape, etc.
- тот же = the very same one or that same
So:
- одинаковый размер = same size
- тот же размер = that same size / the exact same size already mentioned
In a direct comparison between two objects, одинаковый sounds more natural.
Is this the most natural way to say this in Russian?
It is correct and fully understandable, but many speakers would use a more natural-sounding structure.
Common alternatives are:
- Постер и отпечаток одного размера.
- Постер и отпечаток одинакового размера.
- У постера и отпечатка одинаковый размер.
- Постер и отпечаток одинаковые по размеру.
The version with имеют is a bit more literal or slightly more formal/written.
Why can Russian say Постер и отпечаток одного размера without a word for are?
Because in Russian, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted.
So where English says:
- The poster and the print are the same size
Russian can simply say:
- Постер и отпечаток одного размера.
There is no present-tense are in the sentence, but the meaning is completely normal and complete in Russian.
Why is there no word for the or a?
Because Russian does not have articles.
So:
- постер can mean a poster or the poster
- отпечаток can mean a print or the print
Context tells you which meaning is intended.
Can the word order change?
Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible, and changing it usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.
The given order:
- Постер и отпечаток имеют одинаковый размер.
is straightforward and neutral.
Other orders are possible, but they may sound more marked, formal, or stylistic. In everyday speech, many speakers would simply choose one of the more idiomatic alternatives instead.
Is отпечаток always the best word for print?
Not always. Отпечаток can mean different kinds of print, impression, or trace, depending on context.
In the right context, it can mean a printed copy, but English print is a very broad word, so Russian may use other words depending on what you mean:
- an art print
- a printout
- a pattern/print on fabric
- a photographic print
So отпечаток can be correct, but the best Russian word depends on the exact context.
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