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Questions & Answers about Это возможная поездка.
What is the role of Это in this sentence?
Это here is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this is.” In Russian you often introduce or identify something with Это + noun phrase. It functions as a placeholder for the subject and carries the sense of “here/this is.”
Why isn’t there a verb for “is”?
In the present tense Russian normally omits the copular verb есть (“to be”). So Это возможная поездка literally reads “This possible trip,” with the “is” implied. You don’t need a separate word.
Why is the adjective возможная in the feminine nominative form?
Adjectives in Russian agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number and case. Поездка is feminine, singular, nominative. Therefore its adjective must be возможная (feminine nominative singular) rather than the masculine возможный or neuter возможное.
Can I use возможно instead of возможная?
No. возможно is an adverb (meaning “possibly”) or the short neuter form of the adjective. To describe a feminine noun (поездка), you need the full adjective form возможная.
Why is there no article like “a” or “the” before possible trip?
Russian has no definite or indefinite articles. Whether something is “a,” “the,” or just general context is conveyed by word order, intonation, and the surrounding text, not by a separate word.
Could I say эта возможная поездка instead?
Yes, but that changes the structure.
- Это возможная поездка … = “This is a possible trip …”
- Эта возможная поездка … = “This possible trip …” (as the subject or topic)
You wouldn’t use both Это and эта together in the same clause.
How do you pronounce возможная поездка?
• возможная: voz-mOzh-na-ya (stress on -Ozh-)
• поездка: pO-yezd-ka (stress on pO-)
Make sure to soften the “ж” in возможная, and connect the “дк” in поездка smoothly.
What’s the difference between Это and этот/эта/эти?
• этот/эта/эти are demonstrative adjectives/pronouns and must agree with the noun (gender, number, case). You use them before a noun: этот стол, эта книга, эти люди.
• Это (neuter singular) is a standalone demonstrative pronoun meaning “this is” or “these are.” It doesn’t agree with the following noun.
Could you drop Это and just say Возможная поездка?
Yes, as a noun phrase alone Возможная поездка means “a possible trip,” but it’s not a full sentence. If you want a complete sentence “This is a possible trip,” you need Это or another verb structure.
How would you say “The trip is possible” instead?
You’d use the predicate adjective in short form:
Поездка возможна.
Here поездка is the subject (nominative) and возможна is the short-form adjective agreeing in gender (feminine) and number (singular).