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Questions & Answers about Обе щеки красные.
Why do we use Обе here instead of Оба?
Why is the word for cheeks (щеки) in the singular form when we are talking about two of them?
The words for "both" (оба and обе) follow the exact same grammar rule as the numbers 2, 3, and 4. When they act as the subject of a sentence, the noun following them must be in the genitive singular case. So, щека becomes щеки.
Is щеки pronounced exactly the same as the normal plural form for cheeks?
No, they sound different due to word stress. The nominative plural (cheeks) is щёки, with the stress on the first syllable and an ё sound. The genitive singular used here is щеки́, with the stress on the final и.
If the noun is singular, why is the adjective красные (red) in the plural?
Here, красные is the predicate of the sentence (it tells us what the cheeks are). Even though the grammar rule forces the noun itself into the singular, the subject as a whole logically means "two cheeks". Because it refers to multiple things, the predicate adjective takes the nominative plural form.