Questions & Answers about Это окно, и оно здесь.
How do we know what gender the word окно is?
You can identify a Russian noun's gender by looking at its ending in the nominative case, which is the basic dictionary form of the word. Because окно ends in the letter -о, it is a neuter noun.
Why does the sentence use оно for "it"?
In Russian, the pronoun for "it" must match the grammatical gender of the noun it replaces. Since окно (window) is a neuter noun, we must use the neuter pronoun оно. If the noun were masculine, we would use он, and if it were feminine, we would use она.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is normally dropped in the present tense. Therefore, Это окно literally means "This [a] window," and оно здесь literally means "it here."
Why is there a comma before и (and)?
In English, we often skip the comma before "and" in short sentences, but Russian grammar is stricter. You must use a comma before и when it connects two complete thoughts that each have their own subject. Since Это окно and оно здесь are two separate clauses, the comma is required.
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