Этот спектакль длинный, но режиссёр держит внимание публики.

This play is long, but the director keeps the audience’s attention.

Breakdown of Этот спектакль длинный, но режиссёр держит внимание публики.

• длинный: long
• но: but
• этот: this
• публика: the audience
• спектакль: the play
• режиссёр: the director
• держать: to keep
• внимание: the attention

Questions & Answers about Этот спектакль длинный, но режиссёр держит внимание публики.

Where is the verb “is” in Этот спектакль длинный? Why is there no separate word for “is”?

In Russian, in the present tense, the verb “to be” (быть) is usually left out in simple sentences like this.

So:

• Этот спектакль длинный
  literally: “This performance long.”
  meaning: “This performance *is long.”*

There is an understood “is” between спектакль and длинный, but it is not spoken or written.

You normally only see a form of быть in:

• the past:
  Этот спектакль был длинный. – “This performance was long.”
• the future:
  Этот спектакль будет длинный. – “This performance will be long.”
• or rare emphatic or special stylistic uses in the present, which is not the case here.

So the Russian sentence is complete and natural without any visible “is.”

Can I also say Это длинный спектакль or Спектакль длинный? How do these differ from Этот спектакль длинный?

All of these can be correct, but they feel slightly different:

1. Этот спектакль длинный.
   – “This performance is long.”

   • Этот is a demonstrative adjective modifying спектакль.
   • Typical neutral statement about a specific performance you both know or see.

2. Это длинный спектакль.
   – “This is a long performance.”

   • Это here is a separate pronoun (“this”), not agreeing in gender/case.
   • You use this pattern a lot when introducing or classifying something:
     
     • Это интересный фильм. – “This is an interesting film.”
   • Very close in meaning, but feels more like “This (thing we’re talking about) is a long performance.”

3. Спектакль длинный.
   – “The performance is long.”

   • No этот, so it sounds a bit more neutral or general.
   • Context must make it clear which performance you mean (for example, you have already been talking about it).

4. Длинный спектакль (by itself)

   • Just a noun phrase, “a long performance.”
   • Not a full sentence on its own in standard grammar, though in conversation someone might answer a question with just this phrase:
     • “What kind of performance is it?” – Длинный спектакль.

In normal neutral speech describing a specific show you’re watching or just saw, Этот спектакль длинный and Это длинный спектакль are both very natural; the original Russian chooses the first pattern.

Why is the word длинный used here? Could I say долгий or продолжительный instead, and what’s the difference?

All three exist, but they are not interchangeable in every context:

• длинный

  • Basic meaning: “long” in space – a long road, long hair, a long line.
  • Also used about time when something feels long, often with a hint that it drags or is a bit too long:
    • длинный фильм – a (too) long movie
    • длинная лекция – a long, dragging lecture
  • In Этот спектакль длинный, it can imply that the performance feels quite long; sometimes there is a light negative or critical nuance.

• долгий

  • Refers to duration in time; usually neutral or even positive:
    • долгий разговор – a long conversation
    • долгие годы – many long years
  • You can say Этот спектакль долгий, meaning simply “This performance lasts a long time,” with less implication that it drags.

• продолжительный

  • More formal/literary: “prolonged, of long duration”:
    • продолжительный дождь – prolonged rain
  • Этот спектакль продолжительный sounds stiff and bookish; not natural in everyday speech here.

So:

• Этот спектакль длинный – natural and colloquial; can imply “on the long side.”
• Этот спектакль долгий – also correct; focuses more on duration than on the feeling that it drags.

The choice of длинный in the given sentence suggests that it’s noticeably long, but the second part (“the director keeps the audience’s attention”) softens the criticism.

What exactly does режиссёр держит внимание публики mean? How does держит work here without a continuous (“-ing”) form?

Literally:

• режиссёр держит внимание публики
  = “the director holds the attention of the audience.”

Key points:

1. держать

   • Basic meaning: “to hold, to keep.”
   • It’s often used metaphorically:
     • держать слово – to keep one’s word
     • держать дом в порядке – to keep the house in order
     • держать кого‑то в страхе – to keep someone in fear
   • Here it forms a common expression:
     • держать внимание (кого‑то) – to hold / keep someone’s attention.

2. держит (3rd person singular, present, imperfective)

   • Russian does not have a separate present continuous form (“is holding”).
   • Simple present can mean both:
     • “The director holds the audience’s attention” and
     • “The director is holding the audience’s attention (right now).”
   • Context decides whether you read it as a general characteristic or a description of what is happening at this very moment.

3. Natural English translations:

   • “The play is long, but the director keeps the audience’s attention.”
   • You could also say “…holds the audience’s attention” or “…keeps the audience engaged.”

So держит here perfectly covers the English “is holding / keeps” without needing a special continuous form.

Why is it внимание публики and not just публику (e.g. режиссёр держит публику)?

Grammatically and idiomatically, these are different:

1. внимание публики

   • внимание – “attention” (neuter noun).
     
     • Here it’s the direct object of держит (accusative singular; same form as nominative).
   • публики – genitive singular of публика (“audience, public”).
     
     • It answers “Whose attention?” = “the audience’s.”
   • Pattern: держать внимание кого? – “to hold the attention of whom?” (genitive).
   • This matches English exactly: “to hold the audience’s attention / the attention of the audience.”

   So режиссёр держит внимание публики =
   “The director holds the audience’s attention.”

2. держать публику

   • Here публику would be the direct object (“to hold the audience”), not their attention.
   • On its own, держать публику sounds incomplete; you usually add something:
     • держать публику в напряжении – to keep the audience in suspense
     • держать публику в зале – to keep the audience in the hall
   • Without that extra phrase, it might even be misunderstood as something physical or as a vague “keep the audience (under control)” but it is not the standard idiom for “hold their attention.”

That’s why внимание публики is used: it’s the common and clear way to say “the audience’s attention,” using genitive (публики) to show whose attention it is.

Why is there a comma before но, and could we use а instead of но here?

In the sentence:

• Этот спектакль длинный, но режиссёр держит внимание публики.

there are two independent clauses:

1. Этот спектакль длинный
2. режиссёр держит внимание публики

They are joined by the coordinating conjunction но (“but”).

In Russian, when two independent clauses are joined by но, you must put a comma before но:

• …, но … – just like “, but …” in English.

About но vs а:

• но

  • Strong opposition/contrast, often like “but, however.”
  • Fits perfectly here: the length is a potential disadvantage, but despite that, the director keeps the audience’s attention.

• а

  • Weaker contrast, often “whereas” or just “and” with a contrast:
    • Он маленький, а его брат высокий. – “He is short, whereas his brother is tall.”
  • You could say:
    • Этот спектакль длинный, а режиссёр держит внимание публики.
  • It would be grammatically correct, but the contrast feels a bit weaker and more like just describing two different aspects, without the strong “despite this” nuance.

So но is the best choice for the idea “It’s long, but even so, the director keeps the audience’s attention,” and the comma is required by standard punctuation rules.

What are the genders and cases of the main words here, and how do they agree with each other?

Here is the breakdown:

1. Этот спектакль длинный

   • этот
     • Demonstrative adjective, masculine nominative singular.
   • спектакль
     • Noun, masculine nominative singular (ends in soft sign -ь, but this one is masculine).
     • Subject of the first clause.
   • длинный
     • Adjective, masculine nominative singular, full form.
     • Predicate adjective, agrees with спектакль in gender, number, and case.

2. но режиссёр держит внимание публики

   • режиссёр
     • Noun, masculine nominative singular.
     • Subject of the second clause.
   • держит
     • Verb, 3rd person singular, present tense, imperfective.
   • внимание
     • Noun, neuter, here accusative singular (same form as nominative for inanimate neuter nouns).
     • Direct object of держит.
   • публики
     • Noun, feminine genitive singular (from публика).
     • Shows possession/relationship: “of the audience” – whose attention?

The key pattern to notice:

• Subject nouns (спектакль, режиссёр) are in nominative.
• The adjective длинный is also in masculine nominative singular to agree with спектакль.
• The direct object внимание is in accusative.
• The possessor публики is in genitive.