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Questions & Answers about Главный мост красивый.
Why is there no word equivalent to “is” in the sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb “to be” is typically omitted. Even though the sentence “Главный мост красивый” translates to “The main bridge is beautiful,” no explicit linking verb appears because its presence is understood.
How do the adjectives “главный” and “красивый” agree with the noun “мост” in this sentence?
All words are in the nominative singular masculine form. Russian adjectives must match the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Since “мост” is a masculine noun in the nominative singular, both adjectives take the ending -ый to ensure proper agreement.
What is the difference in function between “главный” and “красивый” within the sentence?
“Главный” functions as an attributive adjective, directly modifying “мост” to specify which bridge it is (the main bridge). In contrast, “красивый” is a predicate adjective describing the characteristic of the bridge. Despite their different positions, both adjectives agree with the noun in form.
Can the word order be changed in such sentences, and if so, how might that affect the meaning?
Yes, Russian word order is flexible because the grammatical relationships are clearly indicated by endings. For example, switching to “Красивый главный мост” is grammatically correct. However, such a change can subtly shift the emphasis, perhaps highlighting the beauty of the bridge more than its status as the main one.
Why do both adjectives end with -ый in this context?
The ending -ый is typical for adjectives in the masculine, nominative singular form. Since both adjectives are modifying or describing “мост”—which is masculine and in the nominative singular—they naturally take the -ый ending to align with the noun’s features.