Breakdown of Брат купил участок, на котором есть старый гараж.
брат
brother
старый
old
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
есть
is, there is, to have
купить
to buy (perfective)
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
участок
plot
гараж
garage
Questions & Answers about Брат купил участок, на котором есть старый гараж.
Why do we use на котором instead of в котором here?
The relative pronoun refers back to участок (a plot of land). In Russian, you use the preposition на when talking about being located on a plot of land (на участке). Because of this, the relative clause must also use на to mean 'on which'.
Why is it котором and not another form like которой?
The word который has to match the gender and number of the noun it replaces. Since участок is a masculine singular noun, we use the masculine singular form. We then put it in the Prepositional case because it follows the preposition на. The masculine singular Prepositional form is котором.
Is участок in the Nominative or Accusative case?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object being bought (купил). However, because участок is an inanimate masculine noun, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its Nominative dictionary form.
Why do we need the word есть in the second half of the sentence?
Using есть here emphasizes the existence or physical presence of the garage ('there is an old garage'). It acts just like the у меня есть (I have) structure you learned earlier, but here it simply states that something exists on the plot of land.
Do we always need a comma before на котором?
Yes! In Russian, you must always place a comma to separate the main sentence from a relative clause that starts with который or any of its variations.
Learn Брат купил участок, на котором есть старый гараж and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free