Questions & Answers about Весёлый друг — это хорошо.
Why is there an em dash (—) in the middle of the sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb to be (is/am/are) is almost always dropped. The dash is used in writing to take its place, especially when connecting a subject like друг to a general statement like это хорошо.
Why is the word это used here? Doesn't it just mean this?
While это often means this or it, in this sentence structure it acts as a linking word. When you use the pattern [Subject] — это [Description], it roughly translates to [Subject] is a [Description] thing. It helps bridge the subject and the conclusion.
Why does the sentence end with хорошо instead of the masculine adjective хороший to match друг?
Because we are not describing a specific friend as a good person. Instead, the phrase это хорошо makes a broad statement: the overall situation of having a cheerful friend is a good thing. For general concepts or situations, Russian uses the adverb form ending in -о.
Does the word весёлый change if the friend is female?
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