Breakdown of Китайский язык очень интересный.
интересный
interesting
очень
very
язык
language
китайский
Chinese
Questions & Answers about Китайский язык очень интересный.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' is almost always skipped. You literally say 'Китайский язык очень интересный' (Chinese language very interesting). You only need to add a verb if you are talking about the past ('was') or the future ('will be').
Why does the sentence include the word язык (language)? Can I just say Китайский очень интересный?
In Russian, when talking about a language, you usually pair the nationality adjective with the word язык (language), like китайский язык or английский язык. If you just say китайский, it is an adjective meaning 'Chinese' and usually needs a noun to describe. Without it, it might sound like you are talking about a Chinese person or a Chinese object.
Why does Китайский end in -ий while интересный ends in -ый?
Both are regular masculine adjectives, but they follow a very important Russian spelling rule. You cannot write the letter ы after the letter к (as well as after г, х, ж, ч, ш, щ). Because the stem of китайский ends in к, it must take the -ий ending. The word интересный ends in н, so it takes the standard -ый ending.
Are languages and nationalities capitalized in Russian like they are in English?
No, they are not! The word Китайский is only capitalized here because it is the first word of the sentence. If it were in the middle of a sentence, it would be lowercase: китайский.
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