Breakdown of Мне нравится, что детектив знает, где преступник.
где
where / wherever
знать
to know
мне
to me
нравиться
to please / to appeal
что
that (conjunction)
детектив
detective
преступник
criminal
Questions & Answers about Мне нравится, что детектив знает, где преступник.
Why are there commas before что and где?
In Russian, you must always put a comma before connecting words like что (that) and question words like где (where) when they introduce a new clause or indirect speech. English often skips these commas, but Russian strictly requires them.
Could I use a pointing word like тот instead of что for "that" in this sentence?
No, you must use что. When "that" connects two parts of a sentence (like "I like that he knows"), you always use the conjunction что. Words like тот or этот are only used to point at specific nouns, like "that detective".
Why does the sentence use Мне instead of Я for "I"?
The verb нравится actually means "is pleasing". So instead of "I like", the Russian structure is "It is pleasing to me". Мне is the dative case form of я (to me).
Where is the word for "is" at the end of the sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" is almost always skipped. The phrase где преступник literally means "where the criminal", but it translates perfectly to "where the criminal is".
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