Breakdown of Это известный предок, жизнь которого мы обсуждаем.
это
this / it is
мы
we
известный
famous
жизнь
life
обсуждать
to discuss
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
предок
ancestor
Questions & Answers about Это известный предок, жизнь которого мы обсуждаем.
Why does the sentence use жизнь которого instead of чья жизнь for 'whose life'?
While чей (whose) is used for asking questions, when you connect clauses to say 'the ancestor whose life', you must use the Genitive case of который. It essentially translates to 'of whom' or 'of which'.
In English we say 'whose life', but the Russian word order is жизнь которого. Is this order required?
Yes! When using the Genitive form of который to show possession, the 'owner' word comes after the object being owned. You are literally saying 'the life of whom'.
Since жизнь is a feminine noun, why does которого have a masculine ending?
What case is the word жизнь in here?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb обсуждаем (we are discussing the life). Feminine nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь) do not change their spelling in the Accusative case.
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