Если что‑то непонятно, спрашивай сразу.

not

Breakdown of Если что‑то непонятно, спрашивай сразу.

• если: if
• спрашивать: to ask
• что-то: something

Questions & Answers about Если что‑то непонятно, спрашивай сразу.

Why is there no word for is in Если что‑то непонятно?

Russian usually does not use a present-tense form of to be in sentences like this.

So:

• что‑то непонятно = something is unclear / not understandable

Literally, Russian is more like:

• If something unclear, ask right away.

This is completely normal in Russian. The idea of is is understood automatically.

Why is it непонятно and not непонятный?

Here непонятно is not describing a noun directly the way an adjective like непонятный would. It is being used in a predicative way, meaning something like it is unclear.

Compare:

• непонятный вопрос = an unclear question
• мне непонятно = it is unclear to me / I don’t understand

In Если что‑то непонятно, the idea is:

• If something is unclear

So непонятно is the correct form here.

What exactly does что‑то mean here?