Breakdown of Зверь, который сидит в клетке, хочет спать.
хотеть
to want
в
in / to (direction)
сидеть
to sit
спать
to sleep
зверь
wild animal
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
клетка
cage
Questions & Answers about Зверь, который сидит в клетке, хочет спать.
We are learning about the irregular locative ending '-у' for locations (like в лесу). Why is it в клетке and not в клетку here?
The irregular stressed -у locative ending only applies to a specific group of short masculine nouns (like лес, шкаф, сад). The word for cage, клетка, is feminine, so it just takes the completely regular prepositional ending -е to show location.
What is the difference between зверь and животное?
Животное is the general word for animal, including pets and farm animals. Зверь specifically means a wild animal or beast, which is why it makes sense to see it in a cage here.
Are the commas around который сидит в клетке strictly required?
Yes! Unlike English, Russian grammar strictly requires commas before and after a relative clause starting with который (which, who, or that).
The translation says 'is sitting', but doesn't сидит just mean 'sits'?
Russian does not have a separate continuous tense like English. The present tense verb сидит can mean 'sits' or 'is sitting' depending entirely on the context.
Does хочет спать just mean 'is sleepy'?
Yes. While it literally translates to 'wants to sleep', using хотеть спать is the standard, everyday Russian way to express being tired or sleepy.
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