Я читаю статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.

I am reading an article where the author writes about old and modern literature.

Breakdown of Я читаю статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.

• я: I
• читать: to read
• писать: to write
• и: and
• где: where
• старый: old
• современный: modern
• о: about
• статья: the article
• литература: the literature
• автор: the author

Questions & Answers about Я читаю статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.

Why is it статью and not статья after я читаю?

Статья is the dictionary (nominative) form. In the sentence we have статью, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative case

We use the accusative for the direct object of most action verbs, including читать (to read).

• Я читаю статью. – I am reading an article.
  
  • я = subject (nominative)
  • читаю = verb
  • статью = direct object (accusative)

So статья (nominative) answers “What is this?” – Это статья.
But after читать, you need the object case:

• Что я читаю? – статью. (accusative)

What exactly does я читаю mean: I read (generally) or I am reading (right now)?

In Russian, the present tense of an imperfective verb (like читать) usually covers both meanings:

• Я читаю статью. can mean:
  • I am reading an article (right now).
  • I read an article (I’m in the process of reading it these days / currently).

Context will tell which one is intended.

English separates I read and I am reading, but Russian usually uses the same form я читаю for both ongoing and repeated/current activities in the present.

Why do we use где here? Could we also say Я читаю статью, в которой автор пишет…? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both:

• Я читаю статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.
• Я читаю статью, в которой автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.

Both are grammatically correct.

Nuance:

• где literally means where, but in sentences like this it works as a relative pronoun, closer to English where / in which.
• в которой is more explicit and sounds a bit more formal and precise, especially in careful written style.

In everyday speech and many texts, где is very common and perfectly fine:

• статья, где автор пишет… ≈ the article where the author writes…
• статья, в которой автор пишет… ≈ the article in which the author writes…

For very formal or academic writing, в которой might be preferred.

Why is there a comma before где?

The comma marks the start of a subordinate clause that describes статью.

Structure:

• Main clause: Я читаю статью
• Relative clause: где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе

In Russian, a clause introduced by где, который, что (when they function like where, which, that in English) is usually set off by a comma:

• Книга, которую я читаю, очень интересная.
• Статья, где автор пишет о литературе, мне нравится.

So the comma is required by punctuation rules to separate the main and subordinate clauses.

Why do we use о before старой и современной литературе? Could we use про instead?

Both are possible, but they differ in style:

• о старой и современной литературе – more neutral / formal, very common in writing and standard speech.
• про старую и современную литературу – more colloquial, often used in everyday spoken Russian.

Meaning:

• писать о чём‑то = to write about something
• писать про что‑то = to write about something (more casual)

In your sentence, о fits especially well because it feels slightly more formal and neutral, which matches the context of an article.

Why is it о старой и современной литературе, with these specific endings?

The phrase о старой и современной литературе is in the prepositional case:

• Preposition о (about) requires prepositional case:
  • о ком? о чём? – about whom? about what?
• Noun:
  • литература → литературе (feminine, singular, prepositional)
• Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:
  • старая литература → о старой литературе
  • современная литература → о современной литературе

So we get:

• о старой и современной литературе
  (о
  • [prepositional feminine singular adjectives] + [prepositional feminine singular noun])

Why don’t we repeat о before современной? Could we also say о старой и о современной литературе?

Both versions are grammatically correct:

1. о старой и современной литературе
2. о старой и о современной литературе

Differences:

• Version 1 (without repeating о) is more natural and common when the two items form one conceptual pair.
• Version 2 (repeating о) adds a bit of emphasis or separation, as if saying:
  • about old literature and also about modern literature (as a separate topic).

In most neutral contexts, especially in writing, the non‑repeated version (о старой и современной литературе) is preferred.

What case is литературе, and why is it singular if in English we say literature like an uncountable noun?

Литературе is:

• feminine
• singular
• prepositional case

We use it because:

• The preposition о requires prepositional case: о чём? → о литературе.
• Литература in Russian, like literature in English, is generally treated as an uncountable abstract noun in the singular when referring to literature as a field or phenomenon.

So:

• литература – literature (as a general concept)
• литературы (plural) – specific types of literature, or works from different literary traditions, etc., but that’s a different nuance.

Here we mean old and modern literature in general, so the singular литературе is correct.

Why is старой used instead of something like древней? Does старая литература mean ancient literature?

In everyday usage:

• старая литература usually means older, not contemporary literature (often classical, 19th/early 20th century, etc.), not specifically ancient.
• древняя литература would more strongly suggest ancient literature (e.g., Ancient Greek, Roman, medieval texts).

In your sentence, старая литература is likely being contrasted with современная литература (modern literature), so it means:

• older / classical / pre‑modern literature vs. contemporary literature.

Context would clarify what time periods the author has in mind.

What’s the difference between я читаю статью, где автор пишет… and я читаю статью о старой и современной литературе?

They focus on slightly different things.

1. Я читаю статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.

   • Emphasis: In this article, the author writes about old and modern literature.
   • The relative clause где автор пишет… adds extra information about the article.

2. Я читаю статью о старой и современной литературе.

   • Emphasis: The article’s topic itself is old and modern literature.
   • Shorter and more direct: I am reading an article about old and modern literature.

The original sentence slightly emphasizes the author’s action (the author writes about X in the article), not just labeling the article by its topic.

Why is it пишет (present tense) and not написал or писал?

Пишет is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• imperfective aspect.

In Russian, the present tense of imperfective verbs is often used for:

• general statements about what someone does in a text,
• “internal present” of a work: what happens within the article, book, film, etc.

Examples:

• В этой книге автор описывает свою жизнь. – In this book the author describes his life.
• В статье автор пишет о литературе. – In the article the author writes about literature.

Using написал / писал would shift focus more to when/how he wrote the article, rather than what its content says. Here we’re talking about what is written in the article, so пишет is natural.

How would I change the sentence to talk about a completed action, like I read (finished) an article…?

You’d usually switch to a perfective verb for a completed action:

• Я прочитал статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.
  (masculine speaker)
• Я прочитала статью, где автор пишет о старой и современной литературе.
  (feminine speaker)

Here:

• прочитал / прочитала = read (finished reading) – completed, one‑time action in the past.
• The clause где автор пишет… can stay in the present, because we’re still describing what the article says.

So:

• Я читаю статью… – I’m in the process of reading it / I’m reading it now.
• Я прочитал(а) статью… – I have finished reading it.