На балконе видно яркий узор на занавесках.

On the balcony, one can see a bright pattern on the curtains.

Breakdown of На балконе видно яркий узор на занавесках.

• на: on
• яркий: bright
• балкон: the balcony
• узор: the pattern
• занавеска: the curtain

Questions & Answers about На балконе видно яркий узор на занавесках.

Why is the sentence using the impersonal verb form “видно” instead of a conjugated verb like “видишь” or “смотришь”?

In Russian, using the impersonal construction “видно” serves to state that something is evident or observable without specifying who is doing the seeing. It’s equivalent to saying “it is visible” or “one can see,” which emphasizes the state of being seen rather than the observer.

How do the prepositional phrases “на балконе” and “на занавесках” function in this sentence?

Both phrases indicate location. “На балконе” tells us where something is observed (on the balcony), while “на занавесках” specifies where the pattern is located (on the drapes). They rely on the prepositional case because the preposition “на” when referring to location requires this case.

Why does the adjective “яркий” appear in the masculine singular form in the phrase “яркий узор”?

The noun “узор” (pattern) is masculine in Russian. In Russian, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Therefore, “яркий” is in the masculine singular form to match “узор.”

Why is there no explicit subject in the English sense (like “I see” or “you see”) in this sentence?

Russian often uses impersonal constructions where the focus is on the fact that something is observable rather than on who is observing it. The sentence “На балконе видно яркий узор на занавесках” emphasizes that the pattern is visible without attributing the observation to a specific subject, which is a common stylistic choice in Russian.

What cases are used for “балкон” and “занавески,” and why are their forms “балконе” and “занавесках”?

Both “балкон” and “занавески” are in the prepositional case here because the preposition “на” is used to indicate location. “Балкон” transforms into “балконе” in the prepositional singular form, while “занавески” becomes “занавесках” in the prepositional plural form. This reflects the standard case rules in Russian for indicating location.