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Questions & Answers about Кошка сидит.
What does the sentence Кошка сидит. mean in English?
It translates as "The cat sits." In context, this sentence is used to state that the cat is sitting, and while the English translation might add the article “the,” Russian does not have articles.
What is the grammatical role of Кошка in this sentence?
Кошка is the subject of the sentence and is in the nominative case. It is a feminine noun meaning cat, and its form indicates that it is the entity performing the action.
What does the form сидит indicate about the verb, and how is it conjugated?
The verb сидит is the third person singular form of сидеть (to sit) in the present tense. It agrees with the singular subject кошка, showing that the action is being performed by one entity.
Why is there no article before кошка as we see in English with "The cat sits"?
Russian does not use articles like a or the. The definiteness or indefiniteness of a noun is understood from context rather than from a preceding word, so кошка сидит. naturally gives the meaning without needing an article.
How flexible is the word order in a sentence like Кошка сидит., and can it be rearranged?
Russian word order is relatively flexible due to its case system. While Кошка сидит. (subject-verb) is a neutral and standard order, it could be rearranged (for example, Сидит кошка.) to add emphasis on the action. However, the meaning remains essentially the same.
Are there any pronunciation or stress considerations for the words кошка and сидит that learners should be aware of?
Yes. In кошка, the stress typically falls on the first syllable: KÓшка. For сидит, the stress is generally on the first syllable as well: SÍДит. Correct stress placement is important for clear communication and to be understood by native speakers.