Question 1

Why do we use с которой here instead of another form of который?

Accepted Answer

The relative pronoun который must match the noun it replaces in gender and number, but its case depends on its role in its own clause. It refers to девушка (feminine, singular). In the relative clause, we are saying we discussed a masterpiece with her (с ней). Because with (с) requires the Instrumental case, we use the feminine singular Instrumental form: с которой.

Question 2

Could we say которую мы обсуждали instead?

Accepted Answer

That would change the meaning completely. которую is the Accusative case, making the girl the direct object. It would mean the girl whom we discussed (you were talking about her). By using с которой, it means the girl with whom we discussed (she was participating in the conversation).

Question 3

Why does шедевр look like it is in the Nominative case if it is the object being discussed?

Accepted Answer

It is actually in the Accusative case, because it is the direct object of обсуждали (discussed). However, шедевр (masterpiece) is an inanimate masculine noun. For inanimate masculine nouns, the Accusative form is identical to the Nominative form.

Question 4

What is the purpose of the dash (—) before студентка?

Accepted Answer

The dash acts as a stand-in for the verb to be (is) in the present tense. We use it here to connect the main subject (девушка) directly to its predicate noun (студентка). Because the long relative clause interrupts the main sentence, the dash helps clearly re-establish the connection: the girl is a student.

Девушка, с которой мы обсуждали шедевр, — студентка.

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