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Questions & Answers about Это мой номер.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb "to be" is almost always skipped in the present tense. To say "This is my number," you simply put the words together as "This my number" (Это мой номер).
Since номер is masculine, why does the sentence start with the neuter word Это instead of Этот?
When you point something out and say "This is [something]," you always use the fixed word Это, regardless of the noun's gender. You would only use the masculine Этот if you were saying "this number" directly, like in the sentence "this number is mine" (этот номер мой).
Why is the word for "my" spelled мой here?
The word for "my" has to match the gender of the noun it describes. Since номер ends in a consonant, it is a masculine noun. Therefore, you must use the masculine form of "my," which is мой.
Can I use номер for any kind of number?
Not quite! The word номер is mostly used for an identification number, like a phone number, a license plate, or a hotel room. If you are talking about a mathematical number or a quantity, you would use a different word, such as число.