Question 1

Why does the verb end in -ет here?

Accepted Answer

The dictionary form is читать (to read). Because the subject is папа (he), we drop the -ть and add the third-person singular ending -ет to get читает. This is the standard rule for first conjugation verbs ending in -ать.

Question 2

The word папа ends in -а, which is usually feminine. Why do we use the masculine word Твой for 'your'?

Accepted Answer

Even though папа ends in -а, it means 'dad', which is naturally male. Russian words for male family members are grammatically masculine, so they take masculine pronouns and adjectives like твой (your) and мой (my).

Question 3

Does читает mean 'reads' or 'is reading'?

Accepted Answer

It means both! Russian only has one present tense. The verb читает translates to 'reads' or 'is reading' depending on the context. Here, the word сейчас (now) tells us the action is happening right at this moment.

Question 4

There is no word for 'is' or 'does' in the Russian sentence. How do we know it's a question?

Accepted Answer

Russian doesn't use helper verbs like 'is' or 'does' to make questions. To turn a statement into a yes/no question, you just add a question mark in writing, or raise your voice's pitch on the most important word when speaking.

Question 5

Why doesn't the word текст change its ending, since it's the direct object being read?

Accepted Answer

The direct object of a sentence takes the accusative case. However, for masculine words that aren't alive (inanimate objects like текст), the accusative form is exactly the same as the basic dictionary form. You only change the ending for living masculine nouns or feminine nouns!

Твой папа сейчас читает текст?

Breakdown of Твой папа сейчас читает текст?

Questions & Answers about Твой папа сейчас читает текст?

Learn Твой папа сейчас читает текст and more in Russian