Если на улице сильный ветер, одной прищепки мало.

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Breakdown of Если на улице сильный ветер, одной прищепки мало.

• улица: the street
• если: if
• сильный: strong

Questions & Answers about Если на улице сильный ветер, одной прищепки мало.

Why is there no verb in на улице сильный ветер? Where is is?

In Russian, the verb to be is normally omitted in the present tense.

So:

• на улице сильный ветер literally looks like outside strong wind
• but it means there is a strong wind outside / it is very windy outside

This is completely normal Russian. In the past or future, a form of быть would appear if needed, but in the present it is usually left out.

What does на улице mean here? Is it literally on the street?

Literally, yes, на улице means on the street. But in everyday Russian it very often means outside or outdoors.

In weather contexts, на улице is one of the most common ways to say outside:

• На улице холодно. = It’s cold outside.
• На улице дождь. = It’s raining outside / There’s rain outside.

So in this sentence, на улице is best understood as outside.

Why is it сильный ветер and not some other form?