Questions & Answers about Этот чай очень горький.
Why is the word for "this" Этот and not Это?
Этот is the masculine form of "this," which matches the masculine noun чай (tea). You might be used to Это, which is the neuter form or used as a general "This is..." statement (like Это чай - This is tea). Because we are saying "This tea..." as a combined subject, we must use the matching masculine form Этот.
Where is the verb for "is" in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (is, am, are) is almost always left out. So, saying Этот чай очень горький literally translates as "This tea very bitter," which is the perfectly correct and natural way to say "This tea is very bitter."
Why does the adjective горький (bitter) end in -ий instead of the standard masculine ending -ый?
Does the word order matter here? Can I say Этот очень горький чай?