Breakdown of Я думаю, что пустыня — самое опасное место.
я
I
место
place, seat
думать
to think
что
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Я думаю, что пустыня — самое опасное место.
Why is it самое опасное instead of самый опасный?
Самый (the most) and the adjective it modifies must both agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Because место (place) is a neuter noun, both words take their neuter endings: самое опасное.
Why do the adjectives agree with место instead of пустыня?
Even though the feminine noun пустыня (desert) is the subject, the phrase "the most dangerous place" functions as a single descriptive block. The adjectives "most" and "dangerous" directly describe the word "place" (место). Since место is neuter, the adjectives modifying it must also be neuter.
Why is there a dash (—) after пустыня?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (is/are/am) is usually left out. When you equate one noun (пустыня, desert) with another noun phrase (место, place), an em dash is used in writing to act as a bridge and replace the missing "is".
Why is there a comma before что?
In Russian, you must almost always put a comma between two clauses (parts of a sentence that have their own subject and verb or implied verb). Here, что acts as the conjunction "that", connecting the two parts. Placing a comma before linking words like что or потому что is a strict punctuation rule.