Breakdown of Это самая большая корзина, которую я видел.
я
I
это
this
который
which
видеть
to see
корзина
the basket
самый большой
the biggest
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Questions & Answers about Это самая большая корзина, которую я видел.
Why is there no verb to be in this sentence?
In Russian the present-tense copula is usually omitted. A phrase like Это самая большая корзина literally reads “This the biggest basket.” The meaning “this is” is understood without adding есть or another form of быть in the present tense.
How is самая большая formed?
Russian uses the analytical superlative самый + adjective. Самый agrees with the noun in gender, number and case. Here корзина is feminine singular nominative, so you get самая большая (“the biggest”). You can also use the synthetic superlative with the prefix наи-, e.g. наибольшая корзина.
What case is корзина in, and why?
It’s in the nominative singular feminine. In a nominal sentence introduced by Это, the noun that follows stays in the nominative because it functions as a predicate nominative (it renames это).
Why is there a comma before которую?
Которую я видел is a subordinate relative clause introduced by the pronoun который. In Russian, clauses introduced by relative pronouns are typically separated from the main clause by a comma.
Why do we use которую instead of что to introduce the relative clause?
Only который (and its declined forms) can agree in gender, number and case with a specific noun like корзина. The pronoun что does not inflect and cannot refer back to a feminine noun in the accusative.
Why is которую in the accusative case?
Inside the clause, корзина is the direct object of the verb видел. To match that role, который must take the feminine singular accusative form которую.
Why is the verb in the past tense видел rather than perfective увидел or present вижу?
Russian doesn’t have a present perfect tense, so a general experience (“I have seen”) is expressed with the past tense of an imperfective verb: я видел. Perfective я увидел would focus on a single event of seeing. Present tense я вижу (“I see”) wouldn’t fit because the speaker is talking about all past experiences.
If a woman says this, should she change видел to видела?
Yes. Russian past-tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender. A female speaker would say я видела, while a male speaker uses я видел. The rest of the sentence remains the same.