Questions & Answers about А где море? Оно там.
Why is the pronoun оно used here instead of он or она?
In Russian, all nouns have a gender, and pronouns must match it. The word for sea, море, ends in -е, which makes it a neuter noun. Because of this, you must use the neuter pronoun оно (it) to replace it.
Why isn't there a word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are) is almost always left out. You literally just say 'And where sea?' and 'It there'.
Why use А for 'And' at the beginning instead of И?
While и means 'and' for joining similar things together, а is used when shifting the topic, asking a follow-up question, or showing a slight contrast. Here, the speaker is starting a new thought by changing the subject: 'Okay, and where is the sea?'
How are the two о letters pronounced in оно?
The stress in оно falls on the second syllable. In Russian, an unstressed о is pronounced like an 'a'. So, this word sounds like 'ah-NO'.
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