Breakdown of Сын любит мастерить что‑то из картона, хотя иногда ему больше нравится просто играть.
что-то
something
играть
to play
хотя
although
иногда
sometimes
Questions & Answers about Сын любит мастерить что‑то из картона, хотя иногда ему больше нравится просто играть.
Why is сын used without мой or an article? Does it mean the son, a son, or my son?
Russian has no articles, so сын can mean son / the son / a son depending on context.
In a standalone sentence like this, сын is often understood as the son or my son if the context makes that obvious. Russian often leaves out possessives when they are easy to infer.
So:
- Сын любит... = The son likes... / My son likes... / Son likes... depending on context
This is very normal in Russian.
What does мастерить mean here? Is it the same as делать?
Мастерить means something like to make, to craft, to build with your hands, often in a homemade, practical, or playful way.
It is more specific than делать.
- делать = to do / to make in a very general sense
- мастерить = to make or build something by hand, often from simple materials
So in this sentence, любит мастерить что-то из картона suggests the son likes making little things, crafts, models, or homemade objects out of cardboard.
Why is it любит мастерить, with two verbs together?