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Questions & Answers about Улица тихая ночью.
Why is there no verb is in Улица тихая ночью?
In Russian, the present‐tense form of быть (to be) is normally omitted. A simple Subject + Adjective structure (“Улица тихая”) already conveys “The street is quiet.”
What does ночью mean and what role does it play?
ночью is the instrumental singular of ночь (night) used adverbially to mean “at night.” It answers the question “When?” and tells you the time of the action.
Why is ночью in the instrumental case instead of another case?
Russian often uses the instrumental case without a preposition for parts of the day: утром (in the morning), днём (in the afternoon), вечером (in the evening), ночью (at night). These forms act like adverbs.
Why is тихая feminine nominative singular?
Adjectives in Russian must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. улица is a feminine noun in the nominative case (it’s the subject), so its adjective is тихая.
Why is улица placed at the beginning of the sentence? Can the word order change?
Yes—Russian has flexible word order. Putting улица first emphasizes the subject. If you start with Ночью, you shift the focus to the time: Ночью улица тихая (“At night the street is quiet”). The overall meaning stays the same.
Could I use тихо instead of тихая here?
No. тихо is an adverb meaning “quietly” and modifies verbs (e.g. спать тихо “to sleep quietly”). To describe a noun like улица, you need the adjective тихая.
How do you pronounce Улица тихая ночью?
Pronounce it as [OO-lee-tsa TEE-kha-ya NOCH-yu], with primary stress on the first syllable of Улица and тихая, and on НО in ночью.
How would I say “The street was quiet at night”?
Add the past‐tense form of быть: Улица была тихая ночью. Alternatively, you can shift emphasis: Ночью улица была тихая.