Это прямая улица.

This is a straight street.

Breakdown of Это прямая улица.

• это: this
• улица: the street
• прямой: live

Questions & Answers about Это прямая улица.

Why is it это and not эта, since улица is feminine?

In this sentence это does not have to agree with улица in gender.

Here это means this is / it is and works like a neutral introductory word. In Russian, when you say “This is X”, you usually use это regardless of the gender of X:

• Это стол. – This is a table. (masculine)
• Это машина. – This is a car. (feminine)
• Это окно. – This is a window. (neuter)
• Это люди. – These are people. (plural)

If you want this street as a normal demonstrative before the noun (not this is), then you use the agreeing form:

• Эта улица прямая. – This street is straight.

So:

• Это прямая улица. – This is a straight street.
• Эта улица прямая. – This street is straight.

Different structure, slightly different feel, but both are correct.

Why is there no word for is (like есть) in the sentence?

Russian normally drops the verb to be in the present tense when simply stating what something is or what quality it has.

So instead of:

• Это есть прямая улица.

standard Russian just says:

• Это прямая улица.

You usually use есть when you mean there is / there exists or when you want to emphasize existence/availability:

• На этой улице есть магазин. – There is a shop on this street.
• У меня есть время. – I have time. (literally: “By me there is time.”)

But for simple sentences like X is Y (This is a straight street, She is a doctor, etc.), you normally omit есть in the present tense:

• Она врач. – She is a doctor.
• Это прямая улица. – This is a straight street.

What case is улица in, and why?

Улица here is in the nominative singular:

• Dictionary form: улица (nominative singular, feminine)
• In the sentence: Это прямая улица. – also nominative singular.

In Russian, when you say “X is Y” (like This is a straight street), both parts – X and Y – are normally in the nominative case:

• Это дом. – This is a house. (дом – nominative)
• Это моя книга. – This is my book. (книга – nominative)
• Это прямая улица. – This is a straight street. (улица – nominative)

So улица is nominative because it is the “thing” you are identifying.

Why does прямая end in -ая? What is its base form?

The base (dictionary) form of the adjective is прямой (masculine).

Russian adjectives change their endings to agree with the noun in:

• gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
• number (singular / plural)
• case

Here the noun is:

• улица – feminine, singular, nominative.

So the adjective must also be:

• feminine, singular, nominative: прямая.

Typical pattern for adjectives like прямой:

• Masculine: прямой
• Feminine: прямая
• Neuter: прямое
• Plural: прямые

That’s why we say:

• прямой угол (a straight/right angle) – masculine
• прямая улица (a straight street) – feminine
• прямое плечо (a straight shoulder) – neuter
• прямые линии (straight lines) – plural

Can I just say Прямая улица without Это?

You can, but it changes the feel of the phrase.

• Это прямая улица. – a full sentence: This is a straight street.
• Прямая улица. – a noun phrase: (a/the) straight street.

Прямая улица on its own is like a fragment:

• a title on a map,
• a street name in a description,
• something you might mutter to yourself while looking around, but it’s not a complete “This is …” sentence.

To make a normal complete statement in the present tense, Russian prefers Это прямая улица.

What is the difference between Это прямая улица and Эта улица прямая?

Both are correct, but they have slightly different structures and nuances.

1. Это прямая улица.

   • Literally: This is a straight street.
   • Structure: Это (this is) + прямая улица (a straight street).
   • Feels more like an introduction or identification: you point at something and say what it is.

2. Эта улица прямая.

   • Literally: This street is straight.
   • Structure: эта улица (this street) + predicate прямая (is straight).
   • You already have a specific street in mind (or in view), and you comment on its quality.

In everyday speech, both may describe the same situation, but grammatically:

• Это … introduces something as a type or category.
• Эта улица … talks about an already defined street and describes it.

Does прямая only mean straight in the geometric sense, or can it describe people too?

Прямой / прямая has several related meanings, and context decides which one is meant.

1. Geometric / physical:

   • прямая улица – a straight street (not winding)
   • прямая линия – a straight line
   • прямой угол – a right angle

2. Figurative, about people/character:

   • прямой человек – a straightforward, direct person (not evasive)
   • прямая речь – direct speech (as opposed to reported speech)

In Это прямая улица., the meaning is clearly geometric: the street does not curve.

How do you pronounce Это прямая улица?

Approximate pronunciation with stress marks:

• Э́то пряма́я у́лица.

Breakdown:

• Э́то – [E-ta], stress on Э.
• пряма́я – пря like prya in pry-ah (with a soft р
  • я)
    
    • stress on -ма́-
• у́лица – [OO-lee-tsa], stress on у.

Said smoothly: Э́то пряма́я у́лица.

In normal speech, о in unstressed syllables is reduced and sounds closer to a, but the stressed vowels (Э, а́, у́) are clear.