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Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.

Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.
I feel scared if the traffic light doesn’t work at the intersection.

Breakdown of Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.

на
at
не
not
мне
me
если
if
работать
to work
светофор
the traffic light
перекрёсток
the intersection
страшно
afraid/scared
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Questions & Answers about Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.

Why is it Мне страшно and not Я страшно or Я страшный?

Russian often expresses feelings with an impersonal construction: [to me] + [state].

  • мне is dative (“to me / for me”), marking the person experiencing the feeling.
  • страшно is a category of state word (a predicative adverb), meaning “scary / frightening (to be in that situation).” So Мне страшно = “I’m scared” (literally “To me it is scary”).
    Я страшный would mean “I am scary” (i.e., you scare other people), which is different.
Is there an omitted word like есть (“is”)? Why isn’t it written?

In the present tense, Russian usually omits the verb “to be” (есть) in normal sentences.

  • Мне страшно already functions as a complete present-tense sentence. You could see мне страшно as “(It is) scary to me,” but Russian doesn’t need an explicit “is” here.
What does страшно grammatically count as—an adverb or an adjective?

In this use, страшно is a predicative (often taught as “category of state”): it behaves like the core of the predicate in an impersonal sentence. It looks like an adverb, but it’s not modifying a verb here; it’s stating a state/feeling:

  • Мне страшно. = “I’m scared.” Compare:
  • страшный (adjective): страшный фильм = “a scary movie”
  • страшно (state): Мне страшно. = “I’m scared.”
Why is there a comma before если?

Because если introduces a subordinate clause (“if …”). In Russian, subordinate clauses are normally separated by a comma:

  • Мне страшно, если …
    This is standard punctuation.
Does если here mean “if” or “when”? What’s the difference with когда?

если is primarily conditional (“if”), often implying a possible situation.
когда is usually temporal (“when”), pointing to the time something happens.

In real-life speech, English might prefer “when” here (“I’m scared when the traffic light isn’t working…”). In Russian:

  • Мне страшно, когда светофор не работает на перекрёстке. = “I’m scared when (whenever) the traffic light doesn’t work at an intersection.” (habitual/typical)
  • Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке. = “I’m scared if the traffic light isn’t working (in that situation).” (more conditional)

Both can be used, but когда often sounds more natural if you mean “whenever this happens.”

Why is работает in the present tense—shouldn’t it be past or future?

Russian present tense is commonly used for general statements and whenever/if situations, similar to English:

  • “I get scared if/when the traffic light doesn’t work (in that situation).” Even though it refers to any time this happens, Russian keeps the verb in the present in the subordinate clause.
What exactly does не работает mean here?

не работает literally means “doesn’t work,” and for devices/systems it often means is out of order / not functioning:

  • Светофор не работает = “The traffic light isn’t working (it’s broken/off).” It doesn’t mean “doesn’t work (as a job)” here; context makes it clearly about functioning.
Why is it на перекрёстке (with на) and not в перекрёстке?

With locations like squares, crossroads, intersections, Russian often uses на to mean “at/on” that point/area:

  • на перекрёстке = “at the intersection” Using в would sound unnatural because an intersection isn’t thought of as an “inside” space.
What case is перекрёстке, and why does it end in -е?

перекрёстке is prepositional case (used with на/в/о for location or topic).

  • Base form: перекрёсток
  • Prepositional: (на) перекрёстке The ending -е is typical for many masculine nouns in the prepositional.
Could I say Я боюсь, если… instead of Мне страшно, если…?

Yes, but it changes the style slightly:

  • Мне страшно focuses on a state/feeling (“I feel scared”).
  • Я боюсь uses a normal personal verb meaning “I’m afraid / I fear”.

Common options:

  • Мне страшно, когда/если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.
  • Я боюсь, когда/если светофор не работает на перекрёстке. Both are correct; мне страшно often feels more immediate/experiential.
Is the word order fixed? Can I move parts around?

Word order is fairly flexible, and changes usually affect emphasis:

  • Neutral: Мне страшно, если светофор не работает на перекрёстке.
  • Emphasis on location: Мне страшно, если на перекрёстке не работает светофор.
  • Emphasis on the traffic light: Мне страшно, если светофор на перекрёстке не работает. All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to highlight.
How do I pronounce it (especially stress)?

Approximate stress (capitalized vowel):

  • Мне стрАшно, Если светофОр не рабОтает на перекрЁстке.

Key points:

  • светофОр (stress on -ор)
  • рабОтает (stress on -бо-)
  • перекрЁстке (stress on -рёст-)