Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Это центральная площадь.
Why is the adjective центральная feminine if the noun площадь doesn't end in -а or -я?
The noun площадь (square) ends in a soft sign (-ь). Nouns ending in a soft sign can be either masculine or feminine in Russian, and unfortunately, you just have to memorize their gender. Площадь is feminine, which is why the adjective must match it by taking the feminine nominative ending -ая.
Since площадь is feminine, why does the sentence start with the neuter word это instead of эта?
When you use a word to mean "this is" or "it is" to introduce something, you always use the fixed neuter form это, no matter the gender of the noun that follows. You would only use the feminine эта if you were saying "this central square" as a single block, like in Эта центральная площадь очень красивая (This central square is very beautiful).
How would we say "of the central squares" to practice the genitive plural we are currently learning?
To change this into the genitive plural, the adjective центральная takes the standard genitive plural ending -ых, becoming центральных. The noun площадь changes to площадей. So, if you wanted to say "there are no central squares," it would be: нет центральных площадей.