Кран над раковиной закрыт.

the sink

Breakdown of Кран над раковиной закрыт.

• кран: the faucet
• над: above

Questions & Answers about Кран над раковиной закрыт.

What does кран mean here? It looks like “crane” in English.

In Russian, кран means “faucet,” “tap,” or “valve” (the device that controls water flow). The English word “crane” (the bird or the lifting machine) is a false friend. Context (near a sink) tells you it’s the sink faucet.

Why is there no verb to be or есть in the sentence?

In present-tense Russian, the copula (the verb быть “to be”) is usually omitted. Instead of saying кран над раковиной есть закрыт, you just say кран над раковиной закрыт. The state is conveyed by the short-form participle/adjective закрыт.

What part of speech is закрыт?

Закрыт is a short-form passive participle (often taught as a short adjective) derived from the perfective verb закрыть (“to close”). It describes the resulting state: “(it) is closed.”

Why is закрыт in the masculine singular form?

Because кран is masculine singular. Short-form participles and adjectives agree with their subject in gender and number. If the subject were feminine (e.g. дверь), you’d say дверь закрыта.

How do short-form participles/adjectives change for other genders and number?

They have specific endings:
• Masculine singular: • Feminine singular: • Neuter singular: • Plural (all genders):