Breakdown of В журнале пишут, что певица и режиссёр разводятся.
и
and
журнал
magazine
писать
to write
в
in / to (direction)
что
that (conjunction)
режиссёр
director (film, stage)
певица
singer (f)
разводиться
to get divorced
Questions & Answers about В журнале пишут, что певица и режиссёр разводятся.
Why is пишут used here without the pronoun они?
This is a classic indefinite-personal clause. By dropping они, the sentence shifts focus away from who exactly is writing it to the fact itself. It translates best to 'it is written' or 'the magazine says,' where the subject is a general, unnamed group of people.
Would it be wrong to say Журнал пишет instead of В журнале пишут?
It wouldn't be grammatically wrong, but в журнале пишут is the standard, most natural way to express this in Russian. Russian prefers to treat publications and media as locations where things are stated by unnamed people, rather than as active agents doing the writing.
Why is разводятся reflexive (ending in -ся)?
Here, the -ся particle makes the verb reciprocal, meaning the singer and director are divorcing each other. The non-reflexive verb разводить requires a direct object and means to separate things, dissolve a substance, or breed animals.
If we changed the main clause to the past tense (В журнале писали), would разводятся need to change?
No, it would stay exactly the same. Unlike English, Russian reported speech keeps the tense that was originally used. If the magazine's original message was 'they are getting divorced' (present), it stays in the present tense (разводятся) even if you are reporting it in the past.
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