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Questions & Answers about Эта часть города тихая и зелёная.
Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence?
Russian normally omits the present-tense copula быть. So Эта часть города тихая и зелёная literally says “This part of the city quiet and green.” If you add есть, you change the meaning to existential: Есть тихая и зелёная часть города = “There exists a quiet and green part of the city.”
Why is it эта, not это or этот?
Because часть is feminine singular in the nominative. The demonstrative must agree:
- этот (masc), эта (fem), это (neut), эти (pl). Note that это can also mean “this is”: Это часть города = “This is a part of the city,” which is a different structure.
What gender is часть, and how do I know?
Часть is feminine. Nouns in -ь can be masculine or feminine; you learn them individually. Common feminine -ь nouns include дверь, ночь, кость; masculine examples include день, медведь.
Why is города in that form? What case is it?