Breakdown of У нас есть две недели и три минуты.
и
and
нас
us
три
three
у
at, by
есть
is, there is, to have
две
two (f)
неделя
week
минута
minute
Questions & Answers about У нас есть две недели и три минуты.
Why is it две недели instead of два недели?
The number two has different forms for gender. Два is used for masculine and neuter nouns, while две is for feminine nouns. Since неделя (week) is a feminine noun, we must use две.
Why do we use the forms недели and минуты here?
In Russian, the numbers 2, 3, and 4 must be followed by the genitive singular form of the noun. To do this for feminine nouns ending in 'а' or 'я', we usually change the ending to 'ы' or 'и'. So, неделя changes to недели, and минута (minute) changes to минуты.
Wait, doesn't три change for feminine nouns like две does?
No, only the numbers 1 and 2 change based on the gender of the noun. For 3 (три) and 4 (четыре), you use the exact same word whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter.
Does the verb есть change because there are multiple things (weeks and minutes)?
No, in the У [someone] есть (someone has) structure, есть stays exactly the same regardless of whether you have one thing or many things. It acts as a fixed word meaning 'there is' or 'there are'.
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