Breakdown of Статья, в которой мы находим этот термин, очень интересная.
мы
we
интересный
interesting
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
очень
very
Questions & Answers about Статья, в которой мы находим этот термин, очень интересная.
Since the current lesson is about present passive participles, can we rewrite this sentence to use one?
You could, but it requires rearranging the sentence. Present passive participles describe the noun receiving the action. From находить (to find), we get находимый (being found). You could say Этот термин, находимый нами в статье, очень интересный (This term, found by us in the article, is very interesting). However, to describe the article itself without shifting the focus to the term, the active relative clause в которой мы находим is the standard and most natural way.
Why do we need a comma before and after в которой мы находим этот термин?
In Russian, relative clauses (clauses starting with words like который, где, or что) must always be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Because this clause is inserted right in the middle of the main sentence Статья... очень интересная, it needs a comma at both its start and its end.
Why is в которой used here instead of another form of который?
The word который (which) must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers back to, which is the feminine singular статья. Its case, however, is determined by its role inside the sub-clause. Since we find the term IN the article (в статье, prepositional case), the pronoun must also be in the prepositional case, giving us the feminine singular prepositional form в которой.
Why does этот термин look like it is in the nominative case if it is the object of ?