Questions & Answers about Это маленький сувенир.
Why are there no words for 'is' and 'a' in this sentence?
In the present tense, Russian doesn't use a linking word for 'is'. You simply place the subject and its description next to each other. Additionally, Russian doesn't have articles like 'a' or 'the', so сувенир stands entirely on its own.
Why do we use Это here instead of the masculine form Этот, since сувенир is a masculine word?
When you say 'This is a...' to introduce or point to a new object, you always use the neutral, fixed word Это, no matter the gender of the noun. You only use the matching masculine form Этот if 'this' attaches directly to the noun, like in the sentence Этот сувенир маленький (This souvenir is small).
Most masculine adjectives end in -ый, so why does маленький end in -ий?
This happens because of a very common Russian spelling rule. After the letter к (as well as г, х, ш, ж, ч, and щ), you are never allowed to write the letter ы. You must use и instead. Therefore, the standard masculine ending becomes -ий.
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