Мой грамматический друг изучает грамматику.

My grammatical friend studies grammar.

Breakdown of Мой грамматический друг изучает грамматику.

• друг: the friend
• мой: my
• грамматика: the grammar
• изучать: to study
• грамматический: grammatical

Questions & Answers about Мой грамматический друг изучает грамматику.

What does the word Мой mean in this sentence, and why isn’t there an article like “the” before friend in English?

Мой means “my.” Russian does not use articles such as “a” or “the,” so possessive pronouns like мой stand alone to indicate ownership without needing an additional article.

How does the adjective грамматический agree with the noun друг in this sentence?

Russian adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Since друг (“friend”) is masculine singular in the nominative case, the adjective грамматический is also in the masculine nominative singular form. This is why грамматический ends with -ический, which is the standard ending for adjectives of this type when describing a masculine noun.

Why is грамматику used instead of грамматика, and what case is it in?

The verb изучать (to study) takes a direct object in the accusative case. Грамматику is the accusative form of the feminine noun грамматика (“grammar”). In many instances with feminine nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are identical or very similar, but here the context clearly indicates that грамматику is the object being studied.

Is there any wordplay in the sentence since both грамматический and грамматику share the same root?

Yes, the sentence plays with language by using the same root грамматика in two different ways. The adjective грамматический describes the friend—implying perhaps a stickler for grammar—while the noun грамматику is the subject matter the friend studies. This repetition creates a humorous pun that highlights the connection between the person’s character and his academic interest.

What is the role of the verb изучает and how is it conjugated in this sentence?

Изучает is the third person singular present form of the verb изучать (“to study”). It indicates that the subject (the friend) is actively engaged in studying. The form изучает agrees with the subject’s number (singular) and is appropriately conjugated for a masculine subject in the present tense.

How does the overall word order of the sentence reflect typical Russian structure?

The sentence follows a natural Russian word order. The subject is formed by the possessive pronoun and adjective preceding the noun (Мой грамматический друг), followed by the verb (изучает) and then the object (грамматику). Although Russian word order can be flexible due to the use of cases, this straightforward sequence clearly identifies the subject, action, and object, making it easy to understand.