Breakdown of Где секретарь? Секретаря сегодня нет.
где
where / wherever
нет
there is no / is not present
сегодня
today
секретарь
secretary
Questions & Answers about Где секретарь? Секретаря сегодня нет.
Why does секретарь change to секретаря in the second sentence?
Because of the word нет! When you use нет to say someone or something is not here (or doesn't exist), the noun must be in the Genitive case.
Since секретарь ends in a soft sign (-ь), how do we know it takes the masculine Genitive ending (-я) instead of the feminine one (-и)?
Why does нет mean 'is not here' instead of just 'no'?
The word нет actually serves two purposes in Russian. It is the opposite of 'yes', but it is also used as a verb-like word meaning 'there is no' or 'is not present'. When it is used to mean 'is not present', it always forces the noun into the Genitive case.
I noticed the 'г' in сегодня is pronounced like a 'v'. Is this a rule?
Yes! The word сегодня (today) historically comes from two words meaning 'of this day' (сего дня). In Russian, the Genitive endings -ого and -его are always pronounced with a 'v' sound instead of a 'g'.
Why is the word order Секретаря сегодня нет rather than Нет секретаря сегодня?
Russian word order is flexible, but the beginning of the sentence shows what the main topic is. Since the first question asked 'Where is the secretary?', placing Секретаря at the front of the answer connects it directly to the topic we are already talking about.
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