Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Август — тёплый месяц.
Why is there a dash (—) instead of a word for "is"?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (like "is" or "are") is almost always skipped. When a sentence directly connects a noun subject (Август) to a noun description (месяц), a long dash is often used in writing to stand in for the missing verb.
Why does the adjective тёплый end in -ый?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because месяц (month) is a masculine noun, the adjective for "warm" takes the standard masculine singular ending -ый.
How do I know that месяц is a masculine noun?
In Russian, gender is usually determined by the last letter of the dictionary form of the word. Since месяц ends in a consonant (ц), it follows the regular rule for masculine nouns.
Why is there no word for "a" before "warm month"?
Russian does not have articles like "a," "an," or "the." You simply say Август — тёплый месяц (literally: August — warm month), and the context tells you it means "a warm month."