Learn Hardcore Russian: Птица поёт на ветке большого дерева. - The bird sings on the branch of a big tree.

Птица means bird and functions as the subject. In Russian, as in English, the subject typically comes first in a simple sentence—even though Russian word order is flexible due to its case system.

Why is the preposition на used with ветке?

The preposition на is used to describe location. Here, it indicates that the bird sings “on” the branch. Since на is paired with a location, the noun ветка takes the prepositional case, becoming ветке.

What case is ветке in and why is this case used?

Ветке is in the prepositional case. This case is required after the preposition на when talking about where an action takes place, such as “on the branch.”

Why do большого and дерева appear in the genitive case?

The phrase большого дерева is in the genitive case to express a possessive or attributive relationship, much like saying “of the big tree” in English. The genitive form indicates that the branch belongs to or is a part of the big tree. The adjective большого is in its genitive singular form to agree with дерева.

How does the verb поёт agree with the subject in this sentence?

Поёт is the third-person singular present form of the verb петь (to sing). It correctly agrees with Птица, which is a singular noun. This subject-verb agreement is standard in Russian.

Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in this sentence?

Russian does not have articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context and word order, so words like “a” or “the” are unnecessary.

Is the word order in this sentence fixed, or can it be changed?

Although the sentence follows a clear subject-verb-prepositional phrase order, Russian word order is relatively flexible due to its robust case system. This flexibility allows for variations to emphasize different parts of a sentence without causing ambiguity.