Breakdown of Мой брат — самый сильный спортсмен в команде.
мой
my
брат
the brother
в
on
спортсмен
the athlete
Questions & Answers about Мой брат — самый сильный спортсмен в команде.
Why is there a dash after брат?
In Russian, when two nouns are linked in a present-tense sentence with the meaning X is Y, the verb to be is usually omitted, and a dash is often used in writing:
Мой брат — спортсмен. = My brother is an athlete.
So in Мой брат — самый сильный спортсмен в команде, the dash helps mark the link between the subject мой брат and the description that follows.
In casual writing, people sometimes leave the dash out, but in standard written Russian it is normal here.
Why is there no word for is?
Russian usually leaves out the present-tense verb to be.
So:
- Мой брат — спортсмен literally looks like My brother — athlete
- but it means My brother is an athlete
This is completely normal in Russian.
If you want past or future, then forms of быть appear:
- Мой брат был спортсменом. = My brother was an athlete.
- Мой брат будет спортсменом. = My brother will be an athlete.
Why is it мой брат, not моя брат?