Breakdown of На кухне тарелки и чашки.
и
and
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
кухня
kitchen
тарелка
plate
чашка
cup
Questions & Answers about На кухне тарелки и чашки.
Why do both тарелки and чашки end in -и instead of -ы to show they are plural?
Both words come from singular feminine nouns ending in -а: тарелка (plate) and чашка (cup). Normally, you replace -а with -ы to make them plural. However, Russian has a strict spelling rule: after the letters к, г, х, ш, щ, ж, and ч, you must write -и instead of -ы. Since both words have a к right before the ending, they become тарелки and чашки.
Why do we use на instead of в for the kitchen?
Usually, в means 'in' and на means 'on'. However, Russian uses на with certain specific rooms, places, and activities. Кухня (kitchen) is a common exception where you always say 'on the kitchen' (на кухне) rather than 'in the kitchen'.
Why does кухне end with an -е instead of an -я?
Because the sentence describes a location (where the plates and cups are), the noun is in the Prepositional case. The dictionary form is кухня, but to show location, the -я changes to -е, giving us на кухне.
Where is the word for 'are' in this sentence?
Russian skips the verb 'to be' (am, is, are) in the present tense. You simply state the location and the objects side by side: На кухне тарелки и чашки literally translates to 'On the kitchen plates and cups'.
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