Questions & Answers about Это дом. Где дверь?
Why does дверь end with a soft sign, and is it masculine or feminine?
How does the soft sign change the pronunciation of дверь?
The soft sign (ь) does not have a sound of its own, but it makes the consonant right before it soft. To say дверь, make the final r sound with the middle of your tongue raised toward the roof of your mouth, as if you are about to add a y sound but stop short.
Why is there no word for 'is' in either of these sentences?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' is almost always skipped. So, Это дом literally translates as 'This a house' and Где дверь? literally translates as 'Where door?'.
Does Это change to match the masculine word дом?
No. When you use the phrase 'This is...' to point something out or introduce it, you always use the fixed neutral word Это, no matter if the noun that follows is masculine, feminine, or neuter.
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