Левая дверь белая.

Questions & Answers about Левая дверь белая.

Why is there no word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" is skipped. You just put the subject and its description together, which is why the sentence literally reads as "Left door white."
дверь ends in a soft sign (-ь). How can I tell if it is masculine or feminine here?
Nouns ending in a soft sign can be either masculine or feminine, and usually you just have to memorize which is which. However, this sentence gives you a big clue: both левая (left) and белая (white) use the feminine adjective ending -ая. This confirms that дверь is feminine!
Why do both левая and белая end in -ая?
In Russian, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Since дверь is feminine, both adjectives take the standard feminine ending -ая.
What does the soft sign (ь) do at the end of дверь?
The soft sign doesn't make a sound on its own. Instead, it makes the consonant right before it (the р) soft. When you say дверь, the final sound is a soft "r", almost as if you were about to add a tiny "y" sound at the end.

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