Breakdown of Он целиком похож на брата, это их общая черта.
это
this / it is
брат
brother
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
их
their
похожий
similar, alike
общий
shared
черта
trait
целиком
entirely
Questions & Answers about Он целиком похож на брата, это их общая черта.
Why do we use на брата after похож?
The short-form adjective похож (similar / looks like) always pairs with the preposition на followed by the Accusative case to say who or what someone resembles. Because брат is an animate masculine noun, its Accusative form брата looks exactly like its Genitive form.
What is the role of целиком in this sentence?
Does похож на only describe physical appearance?
No, it can be used for both physical looks and personality. The second half of the sentence mentions their общая черта (common trait), which often implies a behavioral characteristic or personality quirk just as much as a physical feature.
Why is общая черта in the Nominative case?
In the clause это их общая черта, the word это acts as a fixed pronoun meaning "this is". When equating a subject with a noun phrase in Russian (This is X), that noun phrase acts as the predicate and stays in the Nominative case.
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