Question 1

Why does the Russian sentence use нам instead of мы for 'we'?

Accepted Answer

In English, we say 'We like it.' But Russian expresses likes differently, literally saying 'It is pleasing to us.' The word нам is the dative case form of мы, meaning 'to us.'

Question 2

How do I know whether to use нравится or нравятся here?

Accepted Answer

You look at the thing being liked. In Russian, the liked object is actually the subject doing the 'pleasing'. Since the joke (она) is singular, you use the singular verb нравится. If you were talking about multiple jokes, you would use the plural нравятся.

Question 3

Why is the word Она used to mean 'it'?

Accepted Answer

Pronouns must match the gender of the noun they replace. Она refers back to шутка (joke). Because шутка ends in -а, it is a feminine noun. In Russian, you use она for all feminine nouns, even inanimate objects or concepts.

Question 4

If шутка is feminine, why does the first sentence start with Это instead of the feminine Эта?

Accepted Answer

When you use 'This is...' to introduce or identify what something is, you always use the fixed word Это, regardless of the noun's gender. You only use the feminine Эта when 'this' is an adjective pointing out a specific noun, like in Эта шутка... (This joke...).

Это хорошая шутка. Она нам нравится.

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