Questions & Answers about Седой мужчина сидел у окна.
Why is the adjective седой in the masculine form if the noun мужчина ends in '-а'?
Even though мужчина ends in -а and follows the feminine declension pattern, it means 'man' and is biologically masculine. Adjectives always match the noun's actual gender, not just its spelling, which is why we use the masculine adjective седой instead of the feminine седая.
Could I use the word серый to say 'grey-haired' instead of седой?
No. In Russian, серый is used for the color grey on objects or animals (like a grey coat or a grey wolf). When talking about grey, silver, or white hair on a person, you must always use седой.
Why does the word окно change to окна in this sentence?
The preposition у, which means 'by', 'at', or 'near' in this context, always requires the genitive case. Because окно is a neuter noun, its genitive singular form takes an -а at the end, becoming у окна.
Why do we use the imperfective verb сидел here instead of the perfective сел?
The imperfective verb сидел means 'was sitting', describing a continuous state or an ongoing action in the past. If you used the perfective verb сел, it would mean the completed action of 'sat down' or 'took a seat'.