Questions & Answers about Поликлиника недалеко.
Why is there no word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' is almost always left out. You just put the subject (поликлиника) right next to its description (недалеко) and the 'is' is automatically understood.
Is a поликлиника the same thing as a hospital?
Not quite! A поликлиника is an outpatient clinic or health center where you go to see a doctor for a regular check-up or a minor illness. If you are seriously ill and need to stay overnight, you would go to a hospital, which is a больница.
Why is недалеко written as one word instead of two?
When не is added to an adverb to create a new concept with the opposite meaning, it is written together as one word. Here, недалеко essentially means 'nearby'. You would only write не далеко as two separate words if you were making a direct contrast, like 'not far, but very close' (не далеко, а очень близко).
Could I use близко (close) instead of недалеко?
Yes, you can absolutely say Поликлиника близко (The clinic is close). Using недалеко (not far) just slightly softens the statement, exactly like it does in English.
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