Breakdown of Этот чувак играет в нашей команде.
наш
our
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
играть
to play
команда
team
чувак
guy, dude (informal)
Questions & Answers about Этот чувак играет в нашей команде.
Why does Этот translate to 'That' here instead of 'This'?
In Russian, этот (this) is often used where English speakers would say 'that,' especially when talking about someone present or just mentioned. The word тот (that) is more strictly used for contrasting two things or for referring to something distant in time or space.
Is чувак a standard, neutral word for 'guy'?
No, чувак is highly informal slang, much like 'dude' or 'guy' in English. It is very common in everyday casual speech, but you should avoid it in formal or professional settings.
Doesn't the verb играть usually take the accusative case with в? Why use the prepositional case here?
When you say you play a specific sport or game, you use играть в plus the accusative case (for example, играть в футбол). However, in this sentence, в нашей команде describes a location ('in' or 'on' the team) rather than the game being played, so it takes the prepositional case.
Why is the pronoun нашей used instead of наш?
The word команда (team) is a feminine noun. Since it is in the prepositional case to show location, the possessive pronoun наш (our) must also be in the feminine prepositional form, which is нашей.
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