Thread: Это

Ok, so the magic word "это" is used in Russian to denote two different things: "it" and "this/that" and I think that is a primary source of confusion.

The word "это" implies the neuter gender. In your example above, "Что [это] такое стадион?" the girl is literary asking: "What [kind of thing] that [is that you call a] stadium?" So, one of the possible answers to such question would be: "Это стадион." ("This [is the kind of thing that I call a] stadium.")

Hope it helps.

Just re-read all of this information as it again slipped me up. I fully understand the difference between unchangeable Это and Этот/Эта/Это/Эти!

However the use of Такое in the example is still throwing me off. So it is neutral because it is linked to the unchangeable это but the reasons for us using this rather than the word that we have already identified confuses me. I think (if it is possible) if someone could put it in the formation, Subject/Verb/Object or atleast identify them because I'm struggling to understand its usage.

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Ok, so the magic word "это" is used in Russian to denote two different things: "it" and "this/that" and I think that is a primary source of confusion.

The word "это" implies the neuter gender. In your example above, "Что [это] такое стадион?" the girl is literary asking: "What [kind of thing] that [is that you call a] stadium?" So, one of the possible answers to such question would be: "Это стадион." ("This [is the kind of thing that I call a] stadium.")

Hope it helps.

So is there an invisible Быть in the mix somewhere aswell, could a "-" be used in this sentence, and also could the это or any other words for that matter be included to make me understand.

Cheers