Breakdown of Где живут их сыновья и дочери?
и
and
где
where / wherever
жить
to live
их
their
сын
son
дочь
daughter
Questions & Answers about Где живут их сыновья и дочери?
Why does the plural of сын (son) end in -овья?
Сын has a highly irregular plural. Instead of taking a standard ending, the word changes to become сыновья (sons). You will notice a similar pattern using a soft sign and -я in other family words, like how брат (brother) becomes братья (brothers).
Why is the plural of дочь (daughter) spelled дочери?
Дочь is a special feminine word. When making it plural, we have to add the extra letters -ер- into the middle of the word before adding the regular plural ending -и. The word мать (mother) works exactly the same way, becoming матери (mothers).
Does the word их (their) need a plural ending here to match the sons and daughters?
No! Unlike words for "my" or "our" which must change their endings to match the noun they describe, их is completely frozen. It will always stay их whether it is describing one masculine thing, one feminine thing, or many things.
What is the dictionary form of живут (live), and why does it have a в in it?
The dictionary form is жить (to live). This is an irregular verb where the letter в appears out of nowhere when you conjugate it. For "they live" (since we are talking about the sons and daughters), we use the root жив- and add the "they" ending -ут to get живут.
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