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Questions & Answers about Это сложный вопрос.
Why is there no word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb 'to be' is almost never used in the present tense. Instead of saying 'This is a difficult question', you literally just say 'This a difficult question' (Это сложный вопрос).
Why does Это end in -о (neuter) if вопрос is a masculine noun?
When это stands alone to mean 'This is' or 'It is', it freezes in this neutral form regardless of the following noun's gender. It only changes to match the noun when it acts directly as a pointing word meaning 'this specific object', like saying 'this question' (этот вопрос).
How do we know to use the -ый ending for сложный?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because вопрос is a masculine noun (it ends in a consonant), the adjective 'difficult' takes the standard masculine ending -ый, making it сложный.
The current lesson teaches почему (why). How is вопрос different?
Почему is an interrogative word used to ask the specific question 'why?'. Вопрос, on the other hand, is the actual noun meaning 'a question'. If someone asks you почему you are studying Russian, you could reply that it is a difficult вопрос!