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Questions & Answers about Там молоко?
There are no question words like "is" or "does" here. How do we know it is a question?
In Russian, you can turn a regular statement into a yes/no question just by changing your tone of voice. You sharply raise your pitch on the specific word you are asking about. In writing, the only difference between the statement Там молоко (There is milk there) and the question Там молоко? (Is there milk there?) is the question mark.
Why is there no Russian word for "is" in this sentence?
Russian almost always leaves out the verb "to be" (am, is, are) in the present tense. Because of this, you do not need to translate the word "is". You simply put the remaining words together, which literally gives you Там молоко? (There milk?).
Why does молоко sound more like "ma-la-ko" when it is spelled with O's?
This happens because of a very common Russian pronunciation rule. The letter о only makes a round "o" sound when your vocal stress falls on it. In молоко, the stress is on the very last syllable. The unstressed оs earlier in the word relax and sound more like an "ah" or "uh" sound.
How do I answer this question using the basic yes/no words from this lesson?
To answer shortly, you can just say Да (Yes) or Нет (No). If you want to be extra clear and give a full sentence, you can say Да, там молоко (Yes, there is milk there) or Нет, там не молоко (No, there is no milk there).