Questions & Answers about Январь — холодный месяц.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always skipped. When a sentence simply links a noun to another noun (like "January" and "month"), Russian writers often use a long dash (—) to show exactly where "is" would go.
Январь ends in a soft sign (-ь). Is it masculine or feminine?
Why does холодный have the -ый ending?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because it describes месяц (a masculine noun), the adjective холодный takes the standard masculine singular ending -ый.
Are months always capitalized in Russian like they are in English?
No, months are actually written in lowercase in Russian (for example, январь). It is only capitalized here because it is the very first word of the sentence.
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