Questions & Answers about Кинотеатр, в котором я был, больше, чем мой старый зал.
Why is the relative clause в котором я был used, and what does its structure indicate?
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?