Questions & Answers about Виноград очень сладкий.
Why does the English translation say "The grapes are" but the Russian sentence uses a singular noun?
In English, "grapes" is plural. But in Russian, виноград is a collective noun (like "rice" or "fruit" in English). Because of this, it is treated as a masculine singular word. If you want to talk about just one single grape, you would use a different word (виноградина).
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
In the present tense, Russian drops the verb "to be" (am, is, are). You literally just say "Grapes very sweet," and the "are" is automatically understood.
Why does сладкий end in -ий?
Adjectives in Russian have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because виноград is a masculine singular noun, the adjective "sweet" must also be masculine singular. The ending -ий is a standard masculine adjective ending.
Why does виноград sound like it ends with a "t" instead of a "d"?
In Russian, voiced consonants like д (d) become voiceless, sounding like т (t), when they are at the very end of a word. This is called devoicing. So, виноград is pronounced "vinograt".
Is the д in сладкий also pronounced like a "t"?
Yes! Voiced consonants also become voiceless when they are right next to a voiceless consonant. Because the letter к is voiceless, the д right before it changes to sound like a т. It is pronounced "slat-kiy".
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