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Questions & Answers about Торт готов.
What part of speech is готов in Торт готов?
Готов is a short-form adjective (краткое прилагательное). In this sentence it functions as the predicate, describing the state of the subject.
Why is there no article before торт in Торт готов?
Russian does not have definite or indefinite articles (like “the” or “a”). Whether something is specific or general is determined by context rather than by a separate word.
What case is торт in Торт готов and why?
Торт is in the nominative case because it is the grammatical subject of the sentence. In Russian, the subject normally appears in the nominative.
Why does готов end with - and not -ый like готовый?
Short-form adjectives drop the full-form endings (such as -ый, -ая, -ое). They agree in gender and number with the subject. Since торт is masculine singular, the short form is готов.
How is Торт готов different from готовый торт?
- Готовый торт is a noun phrase with a full-form adjective → “a ready-made cake” (describes the cake).
- Торт готов is a complete sentence → “The cake is ready” (states the cake’s condition).
How would I ask “Is the cake ready?” in Russian?
You can simply raise your intonation:
• Торт готов?
Or add the question particle ли:
• Торт готов ли?
To ask if it’s already done, insert уже:
• Торт уже готов?
How can I emphasize that the cake is already ready?
Place уже before or after готов:
• Торт уже готов. (The cake is already ready.)
You can also front уже for style:
• Уже готов торт.
Can I change the word order in Торт готов?
Yes. Russian has flexible word order for emphasis. The neutral order is Subject–Predicate (Торт готов). If you say Готов торт, you emphasize the result (“It’s ready, that cake”).