Questions & Answers about Завтра уже двадцатое февраля!
Why is двадцатое in the neuter form instead of the masculine form?
When stating the date in Russian, we use ordinal numbers (words like first, second, twentieth). These are always in the neuter form because they agree with the neuter noun число (date or number), which is left out but understood: двадцатое (число).
Why does февраля end in -я instead of its normal dictionary form февраль?
It is in the genitive case. In Russian dates, you literally say 'the twentieth of February'. Февраль is a masculine noun that ends in a soft sign, so its genitive form drops the soft sign and adds -я.
Where is the verb for 'is' in this sentence?
Russian does not use the present tense of the verb 'to be' (is, am, are). Even though the sentence is talking about tomorrow, it is stating a current fact about the calendar, so no verb is needed. You just say Завтра (Tomorrow) and then the date.
Could we put уже at the end of the sentence instead?
You could, but Russian uses word order to show emphasis. Putting уже (already) right before the date highlights the speaker's surprise that the 20th has arrived so quickly.
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