Breakdown of Можно спросить, сколько стоит билет?
билет
the ticket
можно
can
сколько
how much
стоить
to cost
Questions & Answers about Можно спросить, сколько стоит билет?
Why is спросить in the infinitive and why is there no explicit subject?
We’re using the impersonal permission/possibility construction Можно + infinitive. In this pattern the action isn’t tied to a named subject; it simply asks “Is it allowed/possible to ask…?” That’s why спросить remains in the infinitive and no “I” or “you” appears.
What does Можно mean here?
Literally, Можно means it is allowed/possible. In questions like this it functions as May I… or Can one…, making it a polite way to check permission or feasibility.
Why is there a comma before сколько?
Because сколько стоит билет is a subordinate (embedded) question. Russian punctuation rules require a comma to separate the main clause (Можно спросить) from the subordinate clause introduced by сколько.
Why does the embedded question сколько стоит билет keep the same word order as the direct question?
In Russian, indirect (embedded) questions mirror the word order of direct questions. Since the direct form is Сколько стоит билет? (question word + verb + subject), the embedded form also stays сколько стоит билет.
Why is билет in the nominative case?
The verb (“to cost”) takes its subject in the nominative case. Here is the grammatical subject of , so it remains in the nominative.