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Questions & Answers about Мой городской дом уютный.
Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence?
In Russian, the present-tense form of the copula (“to be”) is omitted. The sentence “Мой городской дом уютный” translates to “My city house is cozy,” with the linking verb understood rather than explicitly stated.
How are the adjectives “мой” and “городской” related to the noun “дом” grammatically?
Both “мой” (my) and “городской” (city/urban) are in the nominative masculine singular form because they directly modify the noun “дом” (house), which is masculine and in the nominative case as the subject of the sentence. Their forms show agreement with the noun in gender, number, and case.
Why is “городской” placed before “дом,” while “уютный” comes after?
Adjectives that directly modify a noun are typically placed before it, as seen with “мой городской дом.” In contrast, “уютный” functions as a predicate adjective that describes the state or quality of the subject. This separation is common in Russian: the subject phrase is given first, followed by a descriptive predicate without an explicit linking verb.
Can the order of adjectives in such a sentence change, and would that affect its meaning?
Yes, Russian word order is somewhat flexible. However, the conventional structure helps distinguish between attributive adjectives (those that modify the noun directly) and predicate adjectives (those that describe the subject’s state). Altering the standard order might shift the emphasis or sound unusual, though the basic meaning would likely remain clear.
What does the adjective “городской” imply in the context of this sentence?
“Городской” means “urban” or “city.” In the sentence, it tells us that the house is situated in or characteristic of a city setting, distinguishing it from rural or suburban houses.