Breakdown of Колбаса на тарелке.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
тарелка
plate
колбаса
sausage
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Questions & Answers about Колбаса на тарелке.
Since we are learning plurals, how would I change колбаса and тарелка to be plural?
Both колбаса (sausage) and тарелка (plate) are feminine nouns ending in -а. To make them plural in the nominative case, you usually change the -а to -ы. So колбаса becomes колбасы (sausages). However, because of the Russian spelling rule that says you cannot write -ы after the letter к, тарелка becomes тарелки (plates).
Why does тарелке end in -е instead of its normal dictionary ending?
The dictionary form of the word for plate is тарелка. Because it is following the preposition на (on) to show location, it must change to the prepositional case. For most feminine nouns ending in -а, this means replacing the -а with an -е.
Why is there no word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always left out. So, Колбаса на тарелке literally translates to "Sausage on plate."
How do we know it means "the sausage" and "the plate" if there are no words for "the"?
Russian does not have articles like "a" or "the." You have to rely on context. Generally, when a noun is the subject at the beginning of the sentence like колбаса is here, it is a specific object already known to the speaker and translates best with "the."