Если дома есть курага, я добавляю её в йогурт.

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Breakdown of Если дома есть курага, я добавляю её в йогурт.

• в: to
• дома: at home
• если: if

Questions & Answers about Если дома есть курага, я добавляю её в йогурт.

Why is дома used here? Does it mean home or at home?

Here дома means at home.

It is a very common Russian adverb meaning at home / in the house. So:

• Если дома есть курага... = If there are dried apricots at home...

A learner might expect something like в доме, but дома is the normal everyday way to say at home when talking about where something is.

Examples:

• Я дома. = I’m at home.
• Дома есть молоко. = There is milk at home.

Why is есть used? Isn’t Russian supposed to omit to be in the present tense?

That is a very common question.

Russian usually omits to be in the present tense when linking a subject and a description:

• Я дома. = I am at home.
• Она врач. = She is a doctor.

But есть can still be used in the meaning there is / there are / exists.

So:

• дома есть курага = there are dried apricots at home
• literally: at home there exists dried apricot(s)

Here есть is not just a plain is. It has an existential meaning: is available / is present.

Why is курага singular? Doesn’t it refer to multiple dried apricots?