Breakdown of В этой черте он похож на маму.
мама
mom
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
в
in / to (direction)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
похожий
similar, alike
черта
trait
Questions & Answers about В этой черте он похож на маму.
Why does похож use the preposition на here, and what case is маму?
The short-form adjective похож (similar or resembling) specifically requires the preposition на followed by the Accusative case to express who or what someone takes after. That is why the nominative мама becomes маму.
What does черте mean in this context? I usually see черта translated as a drawn line.
While черта does mean a literal line, it is also the standard word for a personality trait or characteristic. Since it follows the preposition в to indicate in what aspect he is similar, it takes the Prepositional case (черте).
Why is it just на маму instead of на свою маму (his mom)?
In Russian, possessive pronouns like свою (one's own) are usually dropped when talking about close family members if the context makes it obvious whose relative it is. Adding it is not grammatically wrong, but leaving it out sounds much more natural.
Could I use the long-form adjective похожий instead of похож in this sentence?
No, when stating that a subject is similar to an object as the main point of the sentence, you must use the short form похож (or its gendered variations похожа, похожи). The long form похожий is generally used to modify a noun directly, such as in похожая черта (a similar trait).
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