Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый.

the friend

Breakdown of Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый.

• мой: my
• но: but
• добрый: kind

Questions & Answers about Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый.

Why is there no word for “is” in Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый?

In Russian, the verb “to be” (быть) is usually omitted in the present tense.

• English: My friend is shy but kind.
• Russian: Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый.
  (literally: My friend shy but kind.)

The verb есть (present form of быть) normally appears only in special cases (emphasis, contrast, existence, etc.), not in simple descriptive sentences about what someone or something is now.

So:

• Он врач. – He is a doctor.
• Она умная. – She is smart.

No extra word for “is” is needed in these present-tense descriptions.

How do we know this means “My friend is shy, but kind” and not “My shy but kind friend”?

It’s about word order and where the adjectives stand:

1. Мой застенчивый, но добрый друг
   – This normally means “my shy but kind friend”.
   The adjectives застенчивый, добрый stand directly before the noun друг, so they are attributes (part of the noun phrase).

2. Мой друг застенчивый, но добрый
   – This normally means “My friend is shy but kind.”
   The adjectives are after the noun друг, so they function as (what the friend ).