Questions & Answers about Салат в тарелке.
Where are the words for "the" and "is" in this sentence?
Russian doesn't use articles like "a" or "the", so салат can mean "salad" or "the salad". Also, in the present tense, Russian usually drops the verb "to be" (is, am, are). You just put the subject and the location together, literally saying: "Salad in plate."
Why does the word for plate (тарелка) end in an "е" here?
Because it is answering the question "where?" (location). When you use the preposition в (in) to show where something is located, the noun following it must take the Prepositional case. For most feminine nouns ending in "а" like тарелка, you drop the "а" and add "е", making it тарелке.
In English we say the salad is "on" the plate. Why does Russian use в (in) instead of на (on)?
Russian treats plates (тарелка) and bowls as containers with depth, so food goes "inside" them. You use в (in) for deep dishes, plates, and pots, whereas English focuses on the flat surface and uses "on".
How do I pronounce the в when it is right next to тарелке?
In spoken Russian, short prepositions like в attach directly to the next word without a pause. Because the next letter is т (a "voiceless" sound), the в changes its sound from a "v" to an "f". So you pronounce them together like a single word: "ftar-YEL-kye".
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