Questions & Answers about Шахматы — это не спорт.
Why is there a long dash (—) after Шахматы?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost never used. When you equate one noun with another, like saying "Chess is a sport," you use a dash to stand in for the missing "is".
What is the word это doing in this sentence?
The word это literally means "this" or "it." When combined with the dash, it acts like a pointer used for definitions. Шахматы — это... is like saying "Chess, this is...". You will see this pattern a lot when explaining what something is.
Is Шахматы a plural word? It ends in -ы.
Yes! In Russian, шахматы is always plural, even though "chess" is a singular word in English. There is no singular form for it.
Can I just say Шахматы не спорт without the dash and это?
Yes, you can! Шахматы — не спорт or just Шахматы не спорт are also grammatically correct and mean the same thing. Adding это just makes it sound a bit more emphatic, like a formal definition.