Моя подруга играет на флейте, а её брат — на барабане.

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Breakdown of Моя подруга играет на флейте, а её брат — на барабане.

• на: on
• брат: the brother
• её: her

Questions & Answers about Моя подруга играет на флейте, а её брат — на барабане.

Why is it моя подруга and not мой подруга?

Because подруга is a feminine noun, and the possessive my has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

• мой = my (masculine singular)
• моя = my (feminine singular)
• моё = my (neuter singular)
• мои = my (plural)

So:

• мой брат = my brother
• моя подруга = my female friend

Here, both words are in the nominative singular, because моя подруга is the subject of the sentence.

Does подруга mean girlfriend?

Usually, подруга means female friend, not necessarily a romantic girlfriend.

This is a very common point for English speakers because English girlfriend can mean either:

• a female friend, or
• a romantic partner

In Russian:

• подруга usually means female friend
• девушка can mean girlfriend in the romantic sense, depending on context

So in this sentence, моя подруга is normally understood as my female friend.

Why is the verb играет?