Breakdown of Мой брат зарабатывает в городе, а сестра работает дома.
мой
my
в
in
город
the city
сестра
the sister
Questions & Answers about Мой брат зарабатывает в городе, а сестра работает дома.
What does the conjunction а mean here—“and” or “but”?
А signals a contrast between two coordinated clauses. The most natural English equivalents are “whereas” or “while,” sometimes a mild “but.” It contrasts the brother’s situation with the sister’s without implying conflict. Using и (“and”) would simply add facts with little contrast; но (“but”) would be a stronger, adversative “but.”
Why is there мой before брат but nothing before сестра? Can I say моя сестра?
Russian often omits possessives when the possessor is obvious (family members are a common case). Repeating мой/моя can sound heavy. Here, once “my” is established with мой брат, it’s natural to say just сестра. You can say моя сестра—it’s grammatical and fine if you want to emphasize that she’s your sister too.
What’s the difference between зарабатывает and работает?
- зарабатывать = to earn (money), to make a living. It focuses on income.
- работать = to work (do a job/activity). It may or may not imply pay. So the brother is specifically earning (in the city), while the sister is working (at home).
Do I need to add деньги after зарабатывает?