Learn Hardcore Russian: Мой телефон дорогой.

Мой means "my", телефон means "phone", and дорогой means "expensive" (in this context). So the sentence translates literally as "My phone expensive," which in natural English becomes "My phone is expensive."

Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence?

In Russian, the present tense form of the verb to be (often есть) is usually omitted because its meaning is implied. Therefore, even though English requires "is" in "My phone is expensive," Russian simply states "Мой телефон дорогой."

How does the placement of дорогой affect the meaning of the sentence?

In Russian, an adjective used as a predicate comes after the subject. Here, дорогой follows телефон to function as a predicate adjective, indicating the state of the phone. If the adjective were placed before the noun (as in "Мой дорогой телефон"), it might be interpreted as a term of endearment rather than a comment on price.

What grammatical forms do Мой and дорогой take in this sentence?

Both Мой and дорогой are in the masculine nominative singular form. Мой is a possessive adjective agreeing with the noun телефон, and дорогой is an attribute in the predicate that must agree with the gender and number of the subject.

Could дорогой mean something other than "expensive" in another context, and how do we know which meaning applies here?

Yes, дорогой can also mean "dear" or "beloved" in contexts where it expresses affection. However, when describing objects like a phone where the discussion is usually about cost, дорогой is understood to mean "expensive." In this sentence, context clearly indicates that the intended meaning is about value or price.