Word
Я полагаю, что он прав.
Meaning
I suppose that he is right.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Я полагаю, что он прав.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
я
I
прав
right, correct (as in "you are right")
полагать
to suppose, to believe
Questions & Answers about Я полагаю, что он прав.
The lesson is about using то, что. Why is it just что here instead of то, что?
The verb полагать (to suppose) takes a direct object without a preposition. When connecting to a clause without a preposition, you usually just use что. The word то is required when the verb needs a preposition (like о том, что) or when you want to heavily emphasize the fact that.
How is полагаю different from думаю or считаю?
Полагать is slightly more formal, similar to the English to suppose or to presume. Думать is the standard, everyday word for to think, and считать is used for to consider or when expressing a firm personal opinion.
Why use прав here instead of the full adjective правый?
Прав is a short-form adjective. In Russian, to say someone is correct about something, you almost always use the short forms: он прав, она права, они правы. The full form правый is mostly used for the physical direction right, such as правая рука (right hand).
Do I always need a comma before что?
Yes! In Russian grammar, a subordinate clause (a sentence part with its own subject and verb, like он прав here) must always be separated by a comma. You will always see a comma before что when it links two parts of a sentence like this.