Этот дом — собственность семьи.

In Russian, a dash is often used in the present tense when one noun is being identified as another noun, especially in formal or written style.

Here, дом and собственность are both nouns, so the dash marks the relationship clearly:

Этот дом — собственность семьи = This house is the property of the family

Russian usually leaves out the present-tense verb to be, so the dash helps show the meaning that English expresses with is.

In speech, you would usually hear a slight pause where the dash is written.

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

So instead of saying something like This house is the family's property, Russian simply says:

Этот дом — собственность семьи

This is completely normal. Russian speakers understand the is automatically from the structure.

If you want a fuller, more formal version, you can say:

Этот дом является собственностью семьи.

But in everyday Russian, leaving out is is standard.

Because дом is a masculine singular noun, and этот must agree with it.

Russian demonstratives change form depending on gender, number, and case:

• этот = this, masculine
• эта = this, feminine
• это = this, neuter
• эти = these, plural

Since дом is masculine, the correct form is этот дом.

A learner often confuses это and этот because это can also mean this is in other sentence types, but here этот is specifically the adjective-like word modifying дом.

Этот дом is in the nominative case.

Why? Because it is the subject of the sentence: this house.

• этот = nominative masculine singular
• дом = nominative singular

So the sentence starts with the thing being talked about: this house.

Семьи is in the genitive case.

The noun собственность often takes the genitive to show whose property something is:

• собственность семьи = the property of the family
• literally: property of family

So:

• dictionary form: семья = family
• genitive singular: семьи = of the family

This is a very common pattern in Russian: one noun followed by another noun in the genitive to show possession or relationship.

Here собственность is in the nominative case.

In this kind of sentence, where one thing is identified as another in the present tense, both parts are often in the nominative:

• Этот дом — nominative
• собственность — nominative

But notice that when you use a verb like являться, the predicate noun changes:

• Этот дом — собственность семьи.
• Этот дом является собственностью семьи.

In the second sentence, собственностью is instrumental because являться requires it.

Собственность means property, ownership, or possession, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means something like the property of the family or owned by the family.

It is a somewhat formal noun. In everyday speech, Russian speakers may often prefer a different structure, such as:

Этот дом принадлежит семье.
= This house belongs to the family.

So собственность is correct and natural, but it can sound a bit more official or legal than some alternatives.

It is natural, but it leans somewhat formal or official because of собственность.

It sounds like something you might see:

• in legal language
• in a document
• in a statement about ownership
• in a careful explanation

In everyday conversation, many speakers would more likely say:

Этот дом принадлежит семье.

That sounds a bit more ordinary and direct: This house belongs to the family.

Yes, absolutely.

Этот дом — собственность семьи.
and
Этот дом принадлежит семье.

Both express ownership, but they feel slightly different:

• собственность семьи = the property of the family
  More formal, more noun-based
• принадлежит семье = belongs to the family
  More verbal, often more everyday

Both are correct. The choice depends on style and context.

Yes.

Дом — собственность семьи means The house is the property of the family or A house is the property of the family, depending on context.

Adding этот makes it specifically this house.

So:

• Дом — собственность семьи = house/the house is the family's property
• Этот дом — собственность семьи = this house is the family's property

If you are pointing out a particular house, этот is useful.

Russian has no articles.

So Russian does not have separate words for a and the. The exact meaning comes from context.

That means дом can mean:

• a house
• the house

and семьи can mean:

• of a family
• of the family

In your sentence, context usually makes it clear that the meaning is this house is the property of the family.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

EH-tuht dom — SOHP-stven-nuhst' see-MYI

A few useful notes:

• Этот sounds roughly like EH-tuht
• дом = dom
• собственность has the stress on the first syllable: SOHP-stven-nost'
• семьи has the stress on the second syllable: sem-YEE

Also, the dash usually corresponds to a slight pause in speech.

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

The neutral version is:

Этот дом — собственность семьи.

This presents this house as the topic, then says what it is.

You could also see:

Собственность семьи — этот дом.

But that sounds much more marked or emphatic, as if answering Which thing is the family’s property?

So the original order is the most natural if you are simply making a statement about the house.