Learn Hardcore Russian: Мой друг пьет воду.

Мой means my and functions as a possessive adjective. It is in the masculine singular form to match the noun друг (friend), which is masculine.

Why is the noun друг considered masculine, and how does that affect the other words in the sentence?

The noun друг is inherently masculine in Russian. Because adjectives and other modifiers must agree in gender, Мой is used in its masculine form to match друг.

How is the verb пьет formed, and what information does its form provide?

Пьет is the third person singular present tense form of the verb пить (to drink). Its form shows that a singular subject (in this case, друг) is performing the action of drinking.

Why is вода changed to воду in this sentence?

Вода becomes воду because it is the direct object of the sentence and must appear in the accusative case. For many feminine nouns ending in -а in the nominative, the accusative singular form ends in -у.

Does the word order in Мой друг пьет воду resemble typical English sentence structure?

Yes, the sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, similar to English. Although Russian allows for flexible word ordering for emphasis or stylistic reasons, this neutral sentence mirrors the standard English construction.