Та книга, о которой ты говорила, лежит на полке рядом с орхидеей.

the book

Breakdown of Та книга, о которой ты говорила, лежит на полке рядом с орхидеей.

• говорить: to speak
• на: on
• лежать: to lie

Questions & Answers about Та книга, о которой ты говорила, лежит на полке рядом с орхидеей.

Why does the sentence start with та книга instead of just книга?

Та книга means that book and points to a specific book already known from context.

In Russian, тот / та / то / те works like that:

• тот стол = that table
• та книга = that book
• те люди = those people

Here, та книга helps identify which book is meant, and the relative clause о которой ты говорила gives extra information about it: that book, the one you were talking about.

If you said only книга, it would just mean the book / a book, depending on context, and would sound less specific.

Why is it та, not тот or эта?

Because книга is a feminine noun.

The demonstrative has to agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

So in the nominative singular:

• masculine: тот
• feminine: та
• neuter: то

Since книга is feminine singular nominative, you get та книга.

Эта книга would mean this book, not that book.