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Questions & Answers about Это моя страна.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb to be is almost always left out in the present tense. So, instead of saying 'This is my country,' you literally just say 'This my country.'
The word for country (страна) is feminine, so why do we use Это instead of the feminine form Эта?
When это is used to mean 'this is' or 'it is' to introduce something, it always stays in its default neuter form, regardless of the gender of the noun that follows. You would only use Эта if you were saying 'this country' (эта страна) as a single phrase, rather than the full sentence 'This is my country.'
Why is the word for 'my' written as моя instead of мой?
In Russian, possessive words like 'my' must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because страна (country) ends in -a, it is a feminine noun. Therefore, you have to use the feminine form for 'my', which is моя.