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Questions & Answers about Телефон, который я купил, синий.
What is the function of the relative pronoun который in this sentence?
Который introduces a relative clause that specifies which phone is being referred to. In other words, it means “that” or “which” and tells us that the phone being discussed is the one the speaker bought.
Why are commas placed before который я купил and after it?
In Russian, subordinate clauses—like the one introduced by который—are typically set off with commas. Here, the clause который я купил is an inserted descriptive clause modifying Телефон, so commas mark the beginning and end of this additional information.
Why is the verb купил in its masculine form?
The past tense verb купил ends with -л in the masculine form because it agrees with the subject я when the speaker is male. If a woman were speaking, the verb would change to купила to match her gender.
What role does синий play in the sentence, and why is it positioned at the end?
Синий is a predicate adjective that describes the subject Телефон. Its placement at the end completes the main statement of the sentence—“The phone is blue.” Russian word order is flexible, but this structure (subject, relative clause, predicate adjective) clearly emphasizes both the identification and the description of the phone.
Is the word order in this sentence fixed, or can it be rearranged while preserving the meaning?
The word order in Russian is quite flexible compared to English. Although the structure used here (subject, relative clause, predicate adjective) is very common and natural, other arrangements are possible. However, altering the order might shift the emphasis slightly, so this construction is typically preferred for clarity when describing a specific object.