Questions & Answers about Улицы города красивые.
Why is there no word for 'are' in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb 'to be' is almost always left out in the present tense. Instead of saying 'The streets are beautiful', you simply say 'The streets beautiful' (Улицы красивые).
Why is the word for city written as города instead of город?
Города is in the genitive case, which is often used to show possession or translate the English word 'of'. By adding the -а to the end of город, it changes the meaning from 'city' to 'of the city'.
Doesn't города also mean 'cities' in the plural? How do I know which one it is here?
That is a great catch! The plural of город is spelled exactly the same way: города. However, they sound different when spoken because the stress changes. The plural 'cities' is pronounced with the stress on the last syllable, while the genitive 'of the city' is stressed on the first syllable. Here, 'streets of the city' makes perfect sense in context.
Why does the adjective красивые have the -ые ending?
Adjectives in Russian must match the noun they describe. Because улицы (streets) is a plural noun, the adjective describing it must also take the plural ending, which is -ые.
Can I say города улицы to mean 'city streets' like we do in English?
In Russian, when you use the genitive case to say 'of something', the possessor word usually comes right after the main noun. So, it is much more natural to say улицы города (the streets of the city) rather than swapping the order.
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