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Questions & Answers about Этот человек злой.
Why is there no word for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (like "am", "is", or "are") is almost always skipped. You just put the subject and the describing word together. So, Этот человек злой literally translates to "This person mean".
Why does the sentence start with Этот instead of Это?
Это is used when you are pointing something out generally, like saying "This is a person" (Это человек). But when you want to say "this specific person", the word for "this" acts like an adjective and must match the gender of the noun. Since человек (person) is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form Этот.
Why does злой end in -ой instead of the usual -ый or -ий for masculine adjectives?
Masculine adjectives usually end in -ый or -ий, but there is a special rule for pronunciation. When the stress (the vocal emphasis) falls on the very last syllable of the adjective, the ending is written as -ой. Because the stress is on the end of злой, it takes this ending.
Does злой always mean "mean"?
Not always! It is a very common word that can mean "mean", "evil", or "angry" depending on the context. When describing someone's temporary mood, it often means "angry", but as a general personality trait like in this sentence, "mean" or "bad-tempered" is the best translation.