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Questions & Answers about Улица извилистая.
Why does the sentence lack an explicit verb like есть (to be)?
In Russian, the linking verb есть in the present tense is typically omitted. The sentence “Улица извилистая.” is understood to mean “The street is winding,” with the copula being implied by context.
What are the grammatical components of “Улица извилистая.”?
The sentence consists of two key parts: the noun улица (“street”) and the adjective извилистая (“winding”). Both appear in the nominative singular form and agree in gender, number, and case, which is essential in Russian grammar.
Why is the adjective извилистая placed after the noun instead of before it, as is common in English?
While English adjectives always come before the noun, Russian allows flexible word order. Placing извилистая after улица can add a stylistic or emphatic nuance, though both adjective–noun and noun–adjective orders are grammatically correct.
How does the adjective извилистая agree with the noun улица?
Because улица is a feminine noun in the nominative singular, the adjective must match it by taking the corresponding feminine singular nominative ending. Hence, извилистая is the correct form to modify улица.
Is it possible to include the verb есть, and why is it usually omitted?
Yes, you could insert the verb есть and say “Улица есть извилистая,” but in modern Russian the present-tense copula is generally left out. This omission makes the sentence more concise, as the meaning “is” is clearly understood without it.
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