Questions & Answers about Здесь кровать и дверь.
Both кровать and дверь end in a soft sign (ь). How do I know what gender they are?
What exactly does the soft sign (ь) do at the end of кровать and дверь?
The soft sign doesn't make a sound of its own. Instead, it tells you to "soften" the consonant right before it. To make a soft sound, you raise the middle of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth while saying the consonant. It gives the т in кровать and the р in дверь a slight breathy, almost "y"-like quality at the very end.
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
Russian leaves out the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are). So instead of saying "Here are a bed and a door," you literally just say "Here bed and door." You will only need to use a form of "to be" if you are talking about the past or the future.
Could I use Вот instead of Здесь since they both mean "here"?
It depends on the context! You use здесь when you are talking about location, meaning "in this place" (the bed and door are located in this room). You use вот when you are pointing something out to someone, like "Here is the bed, and here is the door!"
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