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Э́то кни́га,кото́рую я чита́ю MAIN CLAUSELINKED CLAUSE gender from кни́га: femininecase from its own clause: object of чита́ю,so accusative, -ую This is the book (that) I’m reading.
A clause is a part of a sentence with its own verb. Linking words join clauses, and some, like кото́рый, change their ending.
Topic practice·предложе́ния · sentences

Russian sentence practice

Beyond single words: asking questions, saying “nobody” and “nothing”, joining ideas with “and”, “but”, “which” and “so that”, and choosing between “some” and “any”. Each question tests the word that holds the sentence together.

A1–B224 questionsAnswered 0 · right 0
Sets
Question words Negation и, а, но кото́рый: who, which, that что or что́бы -то or -нибудь

Question words

Russian question words go first in the sentence. Some have several forms: куда́ (where to) and где (where at) are different words. Questions guide →

  1. 1 … ты живёшь? Where do you live?
  2. 2 … вы идёте? Where are you going?
  3. 3 … ты? Where are you from?
  4. 4 … ты у́чишь ру́сский? Why are you learning Russian?

Negation

не goes right before the word it negates. With никто́ (nobody), ничего́ (nothing), никогда́ (never), не is still required. Negation guide →

Я никогда́никому́ничего́не говорю́. I · never · to anyone · anything · not · say I never tell anyone anything.
Russian stacks negatives: every ни- word (red) still needs не before the verb (blue). They reinforce each other; they never cancel out.
  1. 1 Я … не ви́жу. I can’t see anything.
  2. 2 … не пришёл. Nobody came.
  3. 3 Он … не был в Москве́. He has never been to Moscow.
  4. 4 У меня́ нет … I have no time.

кото́рый: who, which, that

кото́рый takes its gender and number from the noun it refers to, and its case from its role in its own clause. Complex sentences guide →

  1. 1 Э́то друг, … живёт в Москве́. This is a friend who lives in Moscow.
  2. 2 Где кни́га, … я купи́л? Where’s the book I bought?
  3. 3 Де́вушка, с … я говори́л, — врач. The girl I was talking to is a doctor.
  4. 4 Лю́ди, … там рабо́тают, о́чень ми́лые. The people who work there are very nice.

что or что́бы

что (that) reports a fact. что́бы (so that, in order to) expresses a purpose or a wish; with a new subject it takes the past tense. Complex sentences guide →

  1. 1 Он сказа́л, … придёт. He said that he’d come.
  2. 2 Я хочу́, … ты пришёл. I want you to come.
  3. 3 Я учу́ ру́сский, … чита́ть Толсто́го. I’m learning Russian in order to read Tolstoy.
  4. 4 Я зна́ю, … он врач. I know that he’s a doctor.

-то or -нибудь

кто́-то (someone) is a real person you can’t name. кто́-нибудь (anyone) is any person at all, so it suits questions, requests and the future. Indefinite pronouns guide →

кто-то кто-нибудь someone real, I just don’t know whoanyone, it doesn’t matter who Кто́-то звони́л. Someone called.Позвони́ кому́-нибудь. Call anyone.
-то points at one real but unknown thing; -нибудь leaves the choice open, so it fits questions, requests and the future.
  1. 1 … звони́л, пока́ тебя́ не́ бы́ло. Someone called while you were out.
  2. 2 … звони́л? Did anyone call?
  3. 3 Расскажи́ … интере́сное. Tell me something interesting.
  4. 4 Он … сказа́л, но я не слы́шал. He said something, but I didn’t hear.