Questions & Answers about Это новое кафе?
Is Это here the neuter demonstrative pronoun matching кафе?
Actually, no! In this sentence, Это acts as a fixed pronoun meaning "This is" (or "Is this" in a question). We always use the fixed word Это for "This is a...", regardless of the noun's gender. If we wanted to say "This cafe is new", then we would use the matching neuter demonstrative pronoun right next to the noun: Это кафе новое.
Why does the word for new, новое, end in -ое?
Кафе is a neuter noun, so the adjective describing it must also be neuter. The standard dictionary form (nominative case) for neuter adjectives ends in -ое or -ее. For the root нов-, we add -ое to make новое.
How do we know кафе is neuter? Don't most neuter words end in -о?
Neuter words typically end in either -о (like яблоко) or -е (like море). Кафе is a foreign borrowed word. Almost all borrowed words ending in vowels like -о, -е, or -и (like метро or такси) are neuter in Russian. As a bonus, these borrowed words never change their endings no matter their role in the sentence!
Why isn't there a Russian word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" is almost always skipped. To turn the statement "This is a new cafe" into a question, you simply use a question mark in writing and raise the pitch of your voice when speaking, usually on the word you want to emphasize.
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