Закваска уже активна.

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

So:

• Закваска уже активна. = The starter is already active.

If you translate word for word, it is more like:

• Starter already active.

This is completely normal in Russian. A present-tense is/am/are is usually understood and not spoken.

Активна is the short form of the adjective активный.

Russian often uses:

• the full form to describe a noun directly
• the short form as the predicate, especially after an implied is

Compare:

• активная закваска = an active starter
• закваска активна = the starter is active

So in this sentence, активна is used because it is saying what state the starter is in.

Because закваска is a feminine singular noun.

The short-form adjective agrees with the noun:

• masculine: активен
• feminine: активна
• neuter: активно
• plural: активны

Since закваска is feminine, the correct form is активна.

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

Structure:

• Закваска = subject, nominative
• уже = adverb
• активна = short-form adjective used as the predicate

So nothing unusual is happening with case here.

Уже usually means already.

In this sentence, it shows that the starter has reached the active state by now.

It often implies a change or progress:

• before, it was not active
• now it already is

So уже adds the idea of now / by this point / sooner than expected / at last, depending on context.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but the emphasis changes.

The neutral order here is:

• Закваска уже активна.

Other possibilities can sound different:

• Уже закваска активна. — unusual in most contexts
• Закваска активна уже. — possible, but more marked
• Активна уже закваска. — strong emphasis, less neutral

For a learner, Закваска уже активна is the safest and most natural version.

Often yes, but not always.

Закваска can mean:

• a starter culture
• a ferment
• a leaven
• in many kitchen contexts, a sourdough starter

The exact meaning depends on context. In baking, закваска very often refers to sourdough starter.

They could, but it is less natural in this exact structure if you simply mean the starter is active.

Compare:

• Закваска уже активна. — natural, standard predicate meaning The starter is already active
• Закваска уже активная. — possible, but feels more like emphasizing a characteristic or sounding slightly less idiomatic here

For learners, it is best to remember:

• after a noun with an implied is, Russian often prefers the short adjective in sentences like this

The stress is:

• заквАска
• ужЕ
• актИвна

So: заквАска ужЕ актИвна

A rough English-style approximation would be:

• zak-VAHS-ka oo-ZHE ak-TEEV-na

But it is best to listen to native pronunciation if possible, especially for the vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.

Yes, it can be.

In food, fermentation, and baking contexts, активна can mean that something is active, meaning it is fermenting properly or showing expected biological activity.

For example, a starter that is bubbling and rising can be described this way.

Depending on context, Russian speakers might also use other expressions, such as:

• Закваска готова. = The starter is ready.
• Закваска ожила. = The starter has come to life.
• Закваска хорошо работает. = The starter is working well.

But Закваска уже активна is perfectly understandable and natural.

Уже is an adverb.

It does not change form, and it modifies the whole idea of the predicate:

• already active

So in this sentence:

• закваска = noun
• уже = adverb
• активна = short-form adjective

Yes, absolutely.

Even though there is no visible word for is, this is a complete Russian sentence.

Russian allows this kind of structure very naturally:

• Чай горячий. = The tea is hot.
• Дверь открыта. = The door is open.
• Закваска уже активна. = The starter is already active.

So a native speaker would understand it as a full sentence with no problem.