Breakdown of Эта дорогая ткань продаётся здесь.
здесь
here
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
дорогой
expensive
ткань
fabric
продаваться
to be sold
Questions & Answers about Эта дорогая ткань продаётся здесь.
Why does продаётся have the -ся ending if the fabric isn't selling itself?
This is the passive voice. In Russian, adding -ся to an imperfective verb shows that an action is being done to the subject. Here, the fabric is the subject receiving the action, so продаётся means 'is sold' rather than 'sells'.
Is продаётся pronounced exactly as it is spelled?
Not quite. The -тся ending of Russian verbs is always pronounced like -ца (tsa). The letters blend together, making the word sound like 'продаёца'.
How do we know ткань is feminine to match эта and дорогая?
Nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь) can be either masculine or feminine, so their gender has to be memorized. ткань is feminine. Whenever you see an unfamiliar noun ending in -ь, looking at the adjectives modifying it—like the feminine эта and дорогая here—is a great way to confirm its gender.
Could we use the perfective form of the verb with a -ся ending here?
No, the -ся passive structure is used specifically with imperfective verbs like продаваться to express general facts, routines, or ongoing states (like an item being sold at a store). For completed actions (perfective), Russian uses a different grammar structure entirely.
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