Questions & Answers about Это не школа, а музей.
Why is the conjunction а used here instead of и or но?
In this sentence, а translates to "but" because it sets up a direct contrast: "not X, but Y." You use и to mean "and" when adding similar things together, and но for "but" when introducing a contradiction. Since we are correcting a statement (it's not a school, instead it's a museum), а is the perfect fit!
Why is there a comma before а?
In Russian, you must always put a comma before the conjunctions а (and/but) and но (but). It is a strict punctuation rule that makes sentences easier to read.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Russian does not use a present tense verb for "to be" (am, is, are). So, Это не школа literally translates to "This not school." The word "is" is simply understood from the context.
Why does не come right before школа?
The negative word не (not) always goes directly in front of the exact word it is negating. Here, we are specifically negating the school part, so не sits right before школа.