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Questions & Answers about Это просто правило.
What is the function of the word Это in this sentence?
Это is a demonstrative pronoun in the neuter nominative form. It acts as the “placeholder” subject meaning “this (is)”, introducing the idea you’re about to describe. In English it corresponds to “this is.”
Why is there no verb like быть or English “is” in Это просто правило?
In Russian, the present‑tense copula быть (“to be”) is normally omitted. So Это просто правило literally reads “This simply rule,” but it is understood as “This is just a rule.” In past or future tenses you would use было, будет, etc., but not in the present.
What part of speech is просто, and what exactly does it modify here?
Просто is an adverb meaning “simply,” “just,” or “merely.” It modifies the predicate as a whole, telling you that it’s nothing more than a rule. It’s indeclinable (it never changes form) and does not agree with gender or number.
Why isn’t it простое правило if I want to say “a simple rule”?
Простое (neuter nominative adjective) would agree with правило and mean “simple,” i.e. “простое правило” = “a simple rule.” But in Это просто правило, просто is an adverb (“just”), so the phrase means “it’s just a rule,” not “it’s a simple rule.”
What is the case, number, and gender of правило?
Правило is a neuter noun in the nominative singular. It serves as the predicate nominative in this nominal sentence.
How do you pronounce Это просто правило, and where are the word stresses?
With stress marks and IPA approximation:
- Э́то [ˈɛtə] (stress on Э́)
- прóсто [ˈprostə] (stress on прó)
- прáвило [ˈpravʲilə] (stress on прá)
Altogether: [ˈɛtə ˈprostə ˈpravʲilə].
Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in Russian?
Russian has no definite or indefinite articles. Context and word order provide the information that English articles would. So you simply say Это просто правило for both “This is a rule” and “This is the rule,” depending on what you’re referring to.
Can I drop это and say Просто правило? Would it mean the same?
You can say Просто правило, but it sounds like a fragment or a headline (“Just a rule”). In everyday speech, using это makes the sentence complete and clear: Это просто правило (“This is just a rule”).
What if I swap the word order to Просто это правило? Does it change the nuance?
Yes. Просто это правило is grammatical but puts stronger emphasis on просто, almost like “It’s only just a rule.” The neutral, default word order is Это просто правило.