Question 1

Why does the phrase for "the exact same" have two parts that change endings here?

Accepted Answer

The phrase один и тот же acts as a single meaning, but grammatically, both один and тот must agree with the noun they describe. Since новости is plural and in the accusative case (as the direct object), you must use the plural accusative forms: одни and те. The particles и and же never change.

Question 2

Could we use те же самые in this sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Мы читаем те же самые новости would be perfectly natural here. In Russian, один и тот же strictly means "the very same one" (emphasizing exact identity), while тот же самый means "identical" or "unchanged." However, when talking about consuming the same media like the news, a book, or a movie, native speakers use them almost entirely interchangeably.

Question 3

"News" is singular in English. Why are we using plural forms like одни and те here?

Accepted Answer

In English, "news" is an uncountable singular noun, but in Russian, новость is a regular countable noun meaning "a piece of news." To refer to "the news" generally (like a daily news cycle or a broadcast), Russian uses the plural новости. Any modifiers attached to it must therefore be in the plural.

Question 4

Why use по вечерам instead of just вечером?

Accepted Answer

Using the preposition по followed by the dative plural (вечерам) strongly emphasizes a recurring, habitual routine ("on evenings" or "every evening"). While you could just say вечером, that often refers to a single specific evening depending on the context. По вечерам pairs perfectly with the present tense читаем to highlight an ongoing, regular habit.

Мы читаем одни и те же новости по вечерам.

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