Breakdown of В классе нет шкафа и экрана.
и
and
класс
class, classroom
в
in / to (direction)
нет
there is no / is not present
Questions & Answers about В классе нет шкафа и экрана.
Why do шкаф and экран both end in -а in this sentence?
This is the main rule for this lesson! When you use нет to say "there is no [something]", the thing that is missing must be in the Genitive case. For masculine nouns ending in a consonant like шкаф (cabinet) and экран (screen), you form the Genitive by adding -а, making them шкафа and экрана.
How does the word нет work here? Doesn't it usually just mean "no"?
While нет is the opposite of да (yes), in sentences like this it acts as a negative verb meaning "there is not" or "is not present". Whenever you use нет to state that something doesn't exist or isn't there, the missing item always takes the Genitive case.
Why is it В классе with an -е at the end?
The word класс (classroom) is in the Prepositional case here. You use this case after the preposition в (in) to talk about the location where something is happening or existing. For most masculine nouns, you form it by adding an -е to the end.
The English translation says "no cabinet and no screen". Do I need to repeat нет before each item in Russian?
No, you do not have to repeat it. The single нет before the list applies to both шкафа and экрана. You could grammatically say нет шкафа и нет экрана, but just like in English, saying it once before a list sounds perfectly natural and less repetitive.