Learn Hardcore Russian: Комната пустая.

In Russian, the present‐tense form of the verb to be (быть) is usually omitted. The linking idea “the room is empty” is understood without saying есть or is. So Комната пустая literally means “room empty,” but is translated “The room is empty.”

What case and gender are комната and пустая in?

Both комната (room) and пустая (empty) are in the nominative singular feminine. The noun комната is feminine, and since the adjective describes that noun as a predicate, it also takes the nominative singular feminine ending -ая.

Why does пустая come after комната instead of before it?

Adjectives in Russian can go before or after the noun.
• Пустая комната (“an empty room”) is a noun phrase with the adjective first.
• Комната пустая is a full sentence with the adjective after, sounding more neutral or factual, as in “The room is empty.”

How do you pronounce комната and пустая?