Question 1

Why do we use То, что instead of Тот, кого if the dragon is animate?

Accepted Answer

Even though a dragon is an animate creature, the speaker is phrasing the search as a general abstract concept: the thing that we are looking for. If you wanted to specifically say the one whom we are looking for, you would use Тот, кого мы ищем. The phrase То, что is the standard way to translate the general concept of what... at the start of a statement.

Question 2

Why is there a dash and это in the middle of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

The combination — это acts like the English verb is here. In Russian, when you equate a subject with a noun phrase, you use this structure. In this sentence, the entire first clause То, что мы ищем acts as a giant subject, and — это links it directly to the noun дракон.

Question 3

Why is the word order сокровище которого instead of которого сокровище for whose treasure?

Accepted Answer

To say whose in a relative clause, Russian uses the genitive form of который (meaning of which or of whom). Unlike English, which puts whose right before the noun, Russian strictly places the noun first. The phrase literally translates to the treasure of whom.

Question 4

How do we know what gender and case которого should take here?

Accepted Answer

The relative pronoun gets its gender and number from the noun it refers back to, which is дракон (masculine singular). Its case is determined by its grammatical role in its own clause. Since it shows possession here (the dragon's treasure), it must be in the genitive case, resulting in которого.

То, что мы ищем — это дракон, сокровище которого лежит там.

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