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Questions & Answers about Собака бегает.
Why does the sentence “Собака бегает.” not include a word equivalent to “is” as in “The dog is running”?
Russian often omits the verb “to be” in the present tense. In this simple statement, собака (“dog”) serves as the subject and бегает (“runs” or “is running”) is the predicate. The linking verb “to be” isn’t used in present-tense sentences, so what in English would be “is” isn’t needed in Russian.
What is the grammatical structure of the sentence “Собака бегает.”?
This sentence is a simple subject–verb construction. Собака is in the nominative case (used for the subject) and is in its dictionary form. Бегает is the third person singular form of the verb, matching the subject in number. There is no object or other complement, keeping the structure straightforward.
What aspect of the verb is used in “бегает,” and what does that tell me about the action?
The verb бегает comes from the imperfective aspect. This aspect generally indicates an ongoing, habitual, or repeated action rather than a single completed event. So, the sentence might imply that the dog runs habitually or is in the process of running, rather than emphasizing a one-off event.
Does the feminine gender of собака affect the form of the verb бегает in this sentence?
In the present tense, Russian verbs in the third person singular do not change form based on the gender of the subject. Although собака is a feminine noun, бегает is the standard third person singular ending for many verbs. It’s only in the past tense that Russian verbs agree in gender with the subject.
What is the difference between using бегать (as in “бегает”) and бежать in Russian?
The difference lies in the nuances of movement. Бегать (imperfective) typically implies habitual or multidirectional running—running around without focusing on a specific direction—while бежать (also imperfective but unidirectional) would more often describe running in a single direction or the act of running at a particular moment. In this sentence, бегает suggests a general or ongoing action.
Why does the sentence not include an article (like “the”) before собака, while English requires one?
Russian does not use articles such as “the” or “a.” Nouns in Russian appear on their own, and context or word order provides the necessary information about definiteness. That’s why собака stands alone without an article, even though in English we say “The dog runs.”