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Questions & Answers about Эти джинсы дешёвые.
Why doesn’t this sentence have a verb like “are”?
In Russian, the present‐tense copula is usually omitted. So instead of saying “These jeans are cheap”, you simply say “Эти джинсы дешёвые” — literally, “These jeans cheap.”
What case are эти джинсы in?
They’re in the nominative case, which is used for the subject of a sentence. Эти is the plural nominative form of the demonstrative “this,” and джинсы is a plural noun in its base (nominative) form.
Why is джинсы plural here?
Джинсы is a pluralia tantum noun in Russian: you never say “a jean” — it always appears in the plural to refer to a pair of jeans.
Why do эти and дешёвые end in plural forms?
In Russian, adjectives and demonstratives must agree with the noun in number, case, and gender. Since джинсы is plural, both эти (this) and дешёвые (cheap) take their plural nominative endings.
What does the ending -ые in дешёвые tell us?
The -ые ending marks a hard‐stem adjective in the plural nominative. If it were feminine singular, it would be дешёвая, masculine singular дешёвый, and neuter дешёвое.
Where is the stress in дешёвые, and why do people sometimes write it with е instead of ё?
The stress is on the second syllable: de-SHYO-vye. Russian often replaces the letter ё with е in print, so you might see дешевые, but it’s still pronounced дешёвые.
Can I say “Эти дешёвые джинсы” instead of “Эти джинсы дешёвые”?
Absolutely. Russian word order is flexible. Putting the adjective before the noun (Эти дешёвые джинсы) simply sounds more neutral or descriptive, while the original order can emphasize the adjective slightly more.
Is there a short adjective form for дешёвые?
Yes, you can use the short form дешёвы and say “Эти джинсы дешевы.” However, that style is more formal or literary. In everyday speech, the full form дешёвые is preferred.