Question 1

Why is "but" translated as а here instead of но?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, а is used to show a contrast or a comparison between two things (like comparing the new magazine with the old dictionary). You can often think of it as "whereas" or "while." We use но when there is a direct contradiction or an unexpected twist, like "The dictionary is old, but good."

Question 2

Is the comma before а required?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In Russian punctuation, you must always put a comma before the conjunctions а (and/whereas) and но (but). Notice that there is no comma before и (and) here, because it is simply connecting two adjectives that describe the same noun.

Question 3

There is no word for "is" in this sentence. Is that correct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is perfectly correct. In the present tense, Russian almost always omits the verb "to be." So Журнал новый literally means "Magazine new," but it translates to "The magazine is new."

Question 4

The word словарь ends in a soft sign (-ь). How do I know it takes the masculine adjective старый?

Accepted Answer

Nouns ending in a soft sign can be either masculine or feminine, and you generally have to memorize their gender when you learn them. However, if you see it paired with старый (a masculine adjective), that gives away that словарь is masculine. If it were feminine, the adjective would be старая.

Question 5

Why do новый, интересный, and старый all have the exact same -ый ending?

Accepted Answer

Because they are all describing masculine nouns (журнал and словарь) that are the main subjects of the sentence. The -ый ending is the standard dictionary ending for masculine adjectives in the nominative case.

Журнал новый и интересный, а словарь старый.

Breakdown of Журнал новый и интересный, а словарь старый.

Questions & Answers about Журнал новый и интересный, а словарь старый.

Learn Журнал новый и интересный, а словарь старый and more in Russian