Breakdown of Это мой родной город.
это
this / it is
город
city
мой
my (мой, моя, моё) / mine
родной
native, own (by blood)
Questions & Answers about Это мой родной город.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
There isn't one! In Russian, the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost never used in the present tense. You simply state the subject and what it is. Literally, this sentence translates to "This my home town."
Why do we use the neuter word Это when город (town) is masculine? Shouldn't it be Этот?
When you use это as a standalone word to mean "This is..." or "It is...", it always stays in this neutral form, regardless of the gender of the noun that follows it. You only use the masculine этот when it directly attaches to a noun to mean "this [noun]", such as in the phrase этот город (this town).
What does the word родной literally mean?
Родной translates best to "native" or "related by birth." It comes from a Russian root word relating to birth, family, and kin. While English speakers say "home town," a Russian speaker literally says "native town" (родной город).
Why do both мой and родной end in -ой here?
They are both matching the gender of the noun they describe, which is город (a masculine word). Мой is the masculine form of "my," and родной has the standard masculine adjective ending -ой. If you were talking about a feminine word, like страна (country), they would both change to their feminine forms: моя родная страна.
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