Breakdown of Все знают, что Луна — это не планета.
это
this / it is
не
not
знать
to know
что
that (conjunction)
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
планета
planet
луна
moon
Questions & Answers about Все знают, что Луна — это не планета.
Why is Все used here instead of Всё, and why does the verb end in -ют?
Все (with an е) is the plural form of the pronoun весь, and it means "everyone" or "all people." Because it refers to multiple people, it acts as a plural subject, so the verb знать (to know) takes the "they" form: знают. Be careful not to confuse it with всё (with an ё), which means "everything" and takes a singular "it" verb.
Why is there a dash before это?
In Russian, when you connect two nouns to say "A is B" (like "the Moon is a planet"), you drop the present-tense verb "is" and often use a dash instead. The word это is frequently added to point to the second noun. So, Луна — это не планета functions like "The Moon — this is not a planet."
Why is there a comma before что?
In Russian punctuation rules, you must always place a comma before the conjunction что (that) when it connects two clauses of a sentence. Also, as a quick pronunciation reminder, что is always pronounced as што.
Why is the word не placed directly before планета?
Because Russian drops the verb "to be" in the present tense, there is no verb to attach the "not" to in the second half of the sentence! You simply negate the noun directly, making не планета literally mean "not a planet."
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