Learn Hardcore Russian: Кинотеатр, в котором я был, больше, чем мой старый зал. - The cinema I visited is larger than my old hall.

It modifies the noun кинотеатр by specifying which cinema is being referred to—the one where the speaker had been. The phrase в котором is a combination of the preposition в (in) and the relative pronoun котором (which), both in the prepositional case to indicate location. This construction is more formal than using something like где (where) and clearly links back to кинотеатр.

Why does the sentence omit an explicit verb like “is” in the English translation “The cinema… is bigger than my old hall”?

In Russian, the present tense form of the verb быть (to be) is typically omitted. Although the English sentence includes “is,” Russian speakers simply state Кинотеатр больше, чем мой старый зал without a linking verb. This is a common feature of Russian grammar for present-tense statements.

What role does the comma before чем play in the sentence?

The comma before чем helps to separate the main clause from the comparative phrase. In Russian, when forming comparisons using constructions like больше, чем…, a comma is often placed before чем to signal that what follows is the standard against which the subject is being compared—in this case, мой старый зал.

How is the comparative word больше functioning in this sentence?

Больше is the comparative form of большой (big) and means “bigger.” It serves to directly compare the size of the кинотеатр with мой старый зал. The construction больше, чем… is a common way in Russian to express that one item exceeds another in a certain attribute.

How do the modifiers in мой старый зал agree with the noun they modify?

Both мой (my) and старый (old) agree in gender, number, and case with зал (hall). Since зал is a masculine singular noun used in the nominative case here, the adjectives and possessive pronoun are also in their masculine singular nominative forms, ensuring correct grammatical agreement.