Breakdown of Его главное увлечение — музыка.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
музыка
music
главный
main
увлечение
hobby, passion
Questions & Answers about Его главное увлечение — музыка.
Why is there a dash (—) instead of a verb in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of "to be" (is/are) is usually omitted. When both the subject (увлечение) and the thing it is equated to (музыка) are nouns in the nominative case, Russian uses an em dash (—) to connect them.
Since музыка is a feminine noun, why is the adjective главное neuter?
Could I use the reflexive possessive своё instead of его here?
No, you must use его. The reflexive pronoun свой refers back to the subject of the sentence. In this sentence, the subject isn't "he"—the subject is the entire phrase "his passion" (его увлечение). Because "he" isn't the one performing an action here, you just use the regular possessive его.
How is увлечение different from just saying хобби?
Хобби means a standard hobby or pastime, just like in English. Увлечение comes from the verb увлекаться (to be deeply interested in) and feels a bit stronger—it translates closer to "passion," "fascination," or a very strong active interest.