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Questions & Answers about У ребёнка насморк.
Why is there no verb like 'has' or 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, possession or having a condition is often expressed using the preposition у (meaning 'by' or 'at') plus the person who has it. The verb for 'is' is simply left out in the present tense. Literally, this sentence means 'At the child [is] a runny nose.'
Why is the word for child spelled ребёнка instead of ребёнок?
The preposition у always requires the genitive case. The dictionary form of the word is ребёнок. When it changes to the genitive case, the last vowel о drops out before adding the -а ending, making it ребёнка.
Would it be wrong to include the word есть (is/has) here?
While you often use есть for possessing objects or family members, Russians typically drop it when talking about illnesses, symptoms, or physical states. Saying У ребёнка есть насморк is understandable, but it sounds less natural to a native speaker.
Is насморк in the accusative case here since it is the thing the child has?
No, насморк is in the nominative case. Because the Russian phrasing literally translates to 'At the child is a runny nose,' the runny nose is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence, not a direct object.