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Questions & Answers about Осенью часто дождь.
How does осенью mean "in autumn"? Where is the word for "in"?
To say "in" a certain season, Russian doesn't use a separate word. Instead, it changes the ending of the noun. The word осень (autumn) changes to осенью to mean "in autumn". This is a special form you will learn to use for seasons and times of day.
Why does the English translation say "it rains" when дождь just means the noun "rain"?
English uses an action verb for weather (like "it rains"), but Russian simply uses the noun дождь (rain). The sentence literally translates to "In autumn often rain." There is no "is" or "does" needed!
Why isn't there a word for "it" in the Russian sentence?
English requires a "dummy" subject like "it" to make a complete sentence for weather. Russian doesn't need this at all. You just state the weather conditions directly without any extra pronoun.
How does the soft sign (ь) affect the pronunciation of осенью?
The soft sign (ь) here separates the consonant н from the vowel ю. It tells you to pronounce a distinct "y" sound before the "oo" sound, making the ending sound like "-nyoo" instead of "-noo".