Breakdown of Он пишет два письма.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
письмо
letter
писать
to write
два
two
Questions & Answers about Он пишет два письма.
Why is the word for letter письма here instead of the plural form?
In Russian, after the numbers 2, 3, and 4, we use the Genitive singular form of the noun, not the normal plural. The dictionary form is the neuter noun письмо (letter). Its Genitive singular form is письма.
Why does the sentence use два instead of две for the number two?
The number 2 changes based on the noun's gender. We use две for feminine nouns, but два for both masculine and neuter nouns. Because письмо is a neuter noun, it takes два.
Why does пишет have a 'ш' in it when the verb 'to write' is писать?
The verb писать is a bit tricky because it has a consonant change in the present tense. The с changes to a ш for all present tense forms, which gives us он пишет (he writes / he is writing).
How do we know if it means 'he writes' or 'he is writing'?
Russian only has one present tense. Он пишет can translate to 'he writes' as a general habit or 'he is writing' right at this moment. You figure out which one is meant based on the situation.
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