Breakdown of Это богатый род, имя которого часто вспоминают в нашем городе.
это
this / it is
город
city
наш
our
часто
often
в
in / to (direction)
вспоминать
to remember, to recall
богатый
rich
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
имя
name
род
family line
Questions & Answers about Это богатый род, имя которого часто вспоминают в нашем городе.
Why is которого used here instead of another form of который?
которого is the Genitive case form. In relative clauses, we use the Genitive to mean 'whose' or 'of which'. It takes its gender and number from the noun it refers back to, which is род (masculine singular). Therefore, we use the masculine singular Genitive form, которого.
In English we say 'whose name', so why does имя come before которого in Russian?
When using the Genitive of который to mean 'whose', Russian reverses the English word order. You literally say 'the name of which' (имя которого). The thing being possessed always comes right before the который word.
What case is имя in this sentence?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object being recalled by the verb вспоминают (they recall the name). Since имя is a neuter noun, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its Nominative (dictionary) form.
Why is there no word for 'they' before вспоминают?
Russian frequently drops the pronoun они (they) before a verb to create a general or passive meaning. By just using the 'they' form of the verb (вспоминают), it translates smoothly to 'people often recall' or 'is often recalled'.
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