Breakdown of Этот стол новый, а тот — старый.
стол
table / desk
а
and (contrastive)
новый
new
старый
old
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
тот
that
Questions & Answers about Этот стол новый, а тот — старый.
Why does the sentence use а instead of и for "and"?
In Russian, а is used to show contrast or comparison. While и just joins similar ideas together, а highlights a difference between two things, like comparing a new table to an old one. It often means "whereas" or "but", even if English naturally translates it as "and" here.
What is the exact difference between Этот and тот?
Why is there a dash (—) in the second half of the sentence?
The dash steps in to replace words that are already understood from the first half of the sentence. Here, it replaces the repeated noun стол (table) and the invisible verb "is", making the sentence punchy and avoiding repetition.
How does Russian say "that one" without a word for "one"?
Russian doesn't use a filler word like "one" to avoid repeating a noun. Instead, you just use the pointing word тот (that) all by itself. The masculine form tells the listener you are still talking about the masculine noun стол.
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