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Questions & Answers about Деревья растут.
What does деревья mean, and how is it related to its singular form?
Деревья is the plural form of дерево, which means "tree". The form changes to indicate that you’re referring to more than one tree.
Why is there no word for "to be" in the sentence Деревья растут.?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (есть) is usually omitted. The sentence Деревья растут. directly translates to "Trees grow," with the meaning fully conveyed by the verb растут without needing an explicit copula.
What does the ending -ут in растут indicate?
The ending -ут shows that the verb растут is in the third-person plural present tense. This form agrees with the plural subject деревья, indicating that multiple trees are performing the action of growing.
Can растут be interpreted as both "grow" and "are growing" in English?
Yes, it can. Russian does not distinguish grammatically between a simple present and a present continuous form like English. So растут can convey a general truth (trees grow) or an ongoing action (trees are growing), with the exact interpretation often depending on the context.