Questions & Answers about Друг любит рыться в старье.
Why is it друг, not мой друг? Does it mean a friend or my friend?
Russian often leaves out possessives like мой when they are obvious from context.
So друг can mean:
- a friend
- my friend
- the friend
The exact meaning depends on the situation. Russian has no articles, so one word can cover what English splits into a and the.
If the sentence appears by itself, Друг любит рыться в старье is often understood as something like My friend likes rummaging through old junk or A friend likes rummaging through old junk, depending on context.
Does друг specifically mean a male friend?
Yes, друг is the masculine word for friend and usually refers to a male friend.
- друг = male friend
- подруга = female friend
If the speaker is talking about a woman, you would normally expect подруга любит рыться в старье.
Why is любит followed by an infinitive?