Я пью утренний кофе, а брат наоборот пьёт вечерний чай.

I drink morning coffee, whereas my brother, on the contrary, drinks evening tea.

Breakdown of Я пью утренний кофе, а брат наоборот пьёт вечерний чай.

• я: I
• пить: to drink
• брат: the brother
• чай: the tea

Questions & Answers about Я пью утренний кофе, а брат наоборот пьёт вечерний чай.

Why is there a comma before а?

Because а is a coordinating conjunction meaning “and” (with a contrastive sense, often “but”) in Russian. When it links two independent clauses, you place a comma before it—just like you would before “but” in English.

What does наоборот mean and where can it appear in the sentence?

Наоборот means “on the contrary,” “vice versa,” or “the other way around.” It highlights a contrast between two actions. You can position it in various places:

• After the subject: Брат наоборот пьёт чай.
• At the very beginning: Наоборот, брат пьёт чай.
• At the very end: Брат пьёт чай, наоборот.

All these placements are grammatically correct; they just shift the emphasis slightly.

Why is утренний кофе used instead of кофе утреннее?

In Russian, attributive adjectives—especially those denoting inherent qualities like “morning” or “evening”—normally precede the noun. So you say утренний кофе (“morning coffee”) rather than кофе утреннее. Putting the adjective after the noun is grammatically possible but stylistically marked (poetic or very emphatic).

What case is утренний кофе in, and why doesn’t the ending change in the accusative?