Learn Hardcore Russian: В этой книге главный герой смелый и решительный. - In this book, the main hero is brave and determined.

In Russian, the present tense of “to be” (есть) is typically omitted. Instead of saying “The main character is brave and determined,” Russian simply places the adjectives after the subject. This omission is standard in present-tense statements.

What case is used in “В этой книге” and why?

The phrase “В этой книге” is in the prepositional case. The preposition в (in) requires its noun to be in the case that expresses location; here, книга changes to книге and the demonstrative adjective этой agrees with it in gender, number, and case.

How do the adjectives agree with the noun “герой” in this sentence?

All adjectives in the sentence—главный, смелый, and решительный—are in the masculine singular nominative form. They agree with герой (main character), which is also a masculine singular noun. This agreement in gender, number, and case is a key aspect of Russian grammar.

Why are the adjectives “смелый” and “решительный” placed after “главный герой”?

Russian sentence structure is relatively flexible, but a common pattern is to state the subject first followed by descriptive elements. In this sentence, главный герой is the subject, and смелый и решительный serve as predicate adjectives that describe the subject. The linking verb is omitted, so the adjectives directly follow the noun they modify.

What is the overall structure of the sentence?

The sentence is organized into three main parts: • В этой книге – an adverbial phrase (prepositional case) indicating location. • главный герой – the subject of the sentence. • смелый и решительный – predicate adjectives that describe the subject. Even without an explicit linking verb, this structure clearly conveys that in this book, the main character is both brave and determined.