Breakdown of Разве он не дома?
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
дома
at home
разве
really?, surely not?
Questions & Answers about Разве он не дома?
What exactly does разве add to this sentence?
Разве is a question particle used to express surprise or doubt. Without it, Он не дома? is a simple question: 'Is he not at home?' Adding разве changes the feeling to 'Wait, is he really not at home?' or 'I thought he was at home!'.
Why do we use дома instead of дом here?
Дом is the standard noun for 'house' or 'home'. However, when you want to say someone is located 'at home', you must use the adverb form дома. If you said он не дом, it would literally sound like 'he is not a house'.
Where is the verb 'is' in the Russian sentence?
In Russian, the present tense forms of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are) are almost always dropped. The sentence literally translates to 'Really he not at home?'.
How would I ask 'Is nobody at home?' using the negative pronouns from this lesson?
You would say Разве никого нет дома? You still use разве to express surprise, but saying 'nobody is at home' requires the Genitive case of никто (which is никого) paired with the negative word нет.