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Questions & Answers about Из окна видно парк.
What is the word видно here? Is it a verb?
No. Here видно is an impersonal predicative (a “category of state”), meaning “is visible / can be seen.” It doesn’t conjugate and doesn’t agree with any noun. It serves as the predicate of a subjectless sentence.
Why is there no subject in this sentence?
Russian often uses impersonal sentences for general perceptions and sensations. The idea is “From the window, it is visible (that) the park [can be seen],” roughly equivalent to English “You can see the park from the window,” where English uses an implicit “you.”
What case is окна, and why?
Окна is genitive singular of окно. The preposition из (“from, out of”) requires the genitive: из окна = “from (out of) the window.” Stress note: из окна́.
What case is парк here?
Accusative, because with impersonal perception predicates like видно/слышно/заметно, the thing perceived is typically in the accusative (object-like). With inanimate masculine singular nouns, nominative and accusative look the same (парк), so you don’t see the difference. Compare:
- Impersonal: Из окна видно реку (accusative: реку).
- Personal/adjectival: Из окна видна река (nominative: река).
Can I say Из окна виден парк instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. Both are natural.
- Из окна видно парк (impersonal) emphasizes the experience “one can see.”
- Из окна виден парк (adjectival short form) presents парк as “visible.” In everyday speech the difference is minimal; choose either.
How would I say “I can see the park from the window” explicitly?
- Using the impersonal construction with a dative experiencer: Мне из окна видно парк.
- Using a personal verb: Я вижу парк из окна. The first highlights what’s visible to someone; the second focuses on the act of seeing by the speaker.
Can I change the word order?
Yes, Russian allows flexible order to adjust emphasis. All of these are acceptable:
- Из окна видно парк (neutral).
- Парк видно из окна (end-focus on the source).
- Из окна виден парк (with agreement).
- Парк виден из окна. Ending a clause with the element you want to highlight is common.
Can I use с окна instead of из окна?
In standard Russian, for a view from a room’s window, use из окна. С is used with surfaces/elevations: с балкона, с крыши, с горы. You will hear с окна colloquially/regionally, but it’s not the normative choice for this meaning.
What’s the difference between из окна, в окно, and через окно?
- Из окна: from the vantage point inside the room (“from the window (looking out)”).
- В окно: through/into the window as an opening (focus on the window as an aperture): В окно видно парк is also common and means “Through the window, the park is visible.”
- Через окно: “through the window,” similar to в окно, slightly more literal.
How do I negate this naturally?
Use genitive after negation (a very common pattern):
- Из окна не видно парка. (The park can’t be seen from the window.) You can also say:
- Из окна ничего не видно. (Nothing can be seen from the window.)
Does видно ever mean “apparently”?
Yes. As a sentence adverb it means “apparently/evidently”: Видно, он устал. There’s a comma and a clause after it. In your sentence видно is the impersonal predicate (“is visible”), not “apparently.”
How do I ask “What can be seen from the window?”
- In general: Что видно из окна?
- For animate objects: Кого видно из окна? (e.g., Видно людей в парке.)
How do gender and number work if I don’t use the impersonal form?
With agreement:
- Masculine: Из окна виден парк.
- Feminine: Из окна видна река.
- Neuter: Из окна видно озеро.
- Plural: Из окна видны дома. Or keep the impersonal pattern with accusative after видно:
- Из окна видно реку / озеро / дома / людей.
Can I say видно на парк?
No. Видно doesn’t take на for the viewed object. Say:
- Из окна видно парк. If you mean “a view of the park,” use a noun: вид из окна на парк (“a view from the window of the park”), or: Окно выходит на парк (“The window overlooks the park”).
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- из окна́: stress on the last syllable of окна́; the final з in из is voiced [z].
- ви́дно: stress on the first syllable.
- парк: a single syllable with a hard r and k.