Эта ручка не пишет, дай мне другую.

to write

Breakdown of Эта ручка не пишет, дай мне другую.

• не: not
• мне: me
• дать: to give

Questions & Answers about Эта ручка не пишет, дай мне другую.

Why is it эта ручка and not этот ручка?

Because ручка is a feminine noun in Russian, so the demonstrative this has to agree with it.

• masculine: этот
• feminine: эта
• neuter: это

So:

• эта ручка = this pen

Here эта ручка is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of не пишет.

What exactly does ручка mean here?

Here ручка means pen.

This word can also mean other things in different contexts, such as:

• small hand
• handle
• doorknob / lever in some contexts

But in this sentence, because of не пишет (doesn’t write), it clearly means pen.

Why does Russian say эта ручка не пишет? A pen doesn’t literally “write,” does it?