GrammatikSatzstruktur

Russian sentences start out looking just like English ones, then relax the rules. The default order is Subject–Verb–Object, but because case endings mark who does what, you can move the words around freely for emphasis. On top of that, Russian has no articles and no present-tense “to be”, so many sentences are shorter than their English versions. Learn a few habits and you’ll build correct sentences from day one.

Default order: Subject–Verb–Object

The neutral, everyday order is the same as English: the doer first, the verb, then the thing acted on.

So Я чита́ю кни́гу. (I read a book.) lines up word-for-word with English. If you’re ever unsure, this default order is always safe.

Word order is flexible — the endings do the work

In English, “The dog sees the cat” and “The cat sees the dog” mean opposite things — only word order tells you who does what. In Russian, the case ending marks the object, so you can rearrange the words and the core meaning stays put. What changes is emphasis: new or important information tends to move to the end of the sentence.

Notice кни́гу keeps its accusative -у ending everywhere, so it stays “the object” no matter where it sits. The ending, not the position, tells you it’s being read.

No articles: no “a” or “the”

Russian has no words for “a” or “the”. A bare noun covers both; context decides which one English would use.

• кни́га = “a book” or “the book”
• На столе́ кни́га. (There’s a book on the table.)
• Кни́га на столе́. (The book is on the table.)

Never try to insert a word for “a” or “the” — there simply isn’t one.

No present-tense “to be”

Russian drops the present-tense forms of “to be” (am / is / are). You just put the two parts side by side.

There is no word for “am / is / are” in these sentences — a dash is sometimes written in more formal style (Москва́ — столи́ца. “Moscow is the capital.”), but in speech you simply pause.

Adjectives come before the noun

Just like English, a describing word goes in front of the noun it describes, and it agrees with the noun in gender, number and case.

• но́вая маши́на (a new car)
• ру́сский язы́к (the Russian language)
• больша́я кни́га (a big book)
• У меня́ есть но́вая маши́на. (I have a new car.)

Asking questions

Yes/no questions use exactly the same words as the statement — only the intonation rises. Nothing is added or reordered.

• Ты чита́ешь. (You are reading.) → Ты чита́ешь? (Are you reading?)
• Э́то дом. (This is a house.) → Э́то дом? (Is this a house?)

In more formal or bookish style, the particle ли can be added after the stressed word: Чита́ешь ли ты? (Do you read?) — but for everyday speech, rising intonation is all you need.

Wh-questions start with the question word, just like English:

Negation: не before the verb

To make a sentence negative, put не (not) directly before the verb.

• Я не зна́ю. (I don’t know.)
• Он не чита́ет. (He doesn’t read.)

You can also put не in front of another word to negate just that part: Я чита́ю не кни́гу. (It’s not a book that I’m reading.) For the full story — including double negatives — see negation.

Common mistakes

• Adding “is / are”. There’s no present-tense verb here.
  Я есть студе́нт. (wrong) → Я студе́нт. (correct)
• Inserting an article. Russian has no “a” or “the” to translate.
  “I read a book” → Я чита́ю кни́гу. — no extra word.
• Thinking word order is fixed like English. Rearranging is fine — the case endings keep the meaning. Кни́гу чита́ю я. is perfectly correct.
• Reordering the words to make a question. Don’t — just raise your intonation: Ты чита́ешь?

Summary

• Default order is Subject–Verb–Object, like English: Я чита́ю кни́гу.
• Order is flexible because case endings mark who does what; new/important info goes at the end.
• No articles: кни́га = “a book” or “the book”.
• No present-tense “to be”: Я студе́нт., Э́то дом.
• Adjective goes before its noun: но́вая маши́на.
• Yes/no question = same words + rising intonation; wh-question starts with the question word.
• Negation: не right before the verb — Я не зна́ю.