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Questions & Answers about Где эта комната?
Why do we use эта instead of этот or это here?
The word for "this" has to match the gender of the noun it describes. комната (room) ends in "-а", which makes it a feminine noun. Therefore, we must use the feminine form for "this", which is эта.
Can I just say Где это комната?
No, this is a very common beginner mistake! The word это on its own means "this is" (as in Это комната - This is a room). But when "this" attaches directly to a noun to point at it ("this room"), it must change to match the noun's gender. Since комната is feminine, you have to use эта.
Where is the word for "is" in the Russian sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always left out. The sentence literally translates to "Where this room?".