Breakdown of Есть сходство, она похожа на тётю.
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
есть
is, there is, to have
тётя
aunt
похожий
similar, alike
сходство
resemblance
Questions & Answers about Есть сходство, она похожа на тётю.
Why do we use на тётю here instead of another case?
The short-form adjective похожа (looks like / is similar to) specifically governs the preposition на followed by the Accusative case. Therefore, the nominative тётя (aunt) changes to the Accusative тётю.
Why use the short form похожа instead of the regular adjective похожая?
In Russian, stating that someone 'looks like' someone else almost exclusively uses the short-form adjective похож (or похожа for a feminine subject like она). Short forms act as the main predicate of the sentence, whereas long forms like похожая are mostly used to describe a noun directly, such as in the phrase 'a similar aunt'.
Are сходство and похожа related words?
Yes! They both share the root -ход-, which you know from verbs of motion like ходить (to go/walk). Сходство (resemblance) comes from the idea of things 'coming together' or converging, which is also the core concept behind похож (similar).
Why is there a comma before она, splitting the sentence like a run-on?
In Russian, it is perfectly grammatically correct (and required) to use a comma to separate two independent clauses without a conjunction. Есть сходство (there is a resemblance) and она похожа на тётю (she looks like her aunt) are two complete thoughts, and Russian uses a comma here where English might prefer a semicolon or a period.
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