Present-tense predicates
With zero copula, both short and long nominative predicates occur, but they are not freely interchangeable.
- Short forms often foreground a predicated property, evaluation, relevance, measure, or complement relation. Long forms are common in conversational identification/description and can present a characteristic or classifying description.
| Form | Example | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| short | Кни́га интере́сна. | evaluative property; often edited/neutral |
| long | Кни́га интере́сная. | conversational descriptive predicate |
| short + complement | Кни́га интере́сна де́тям. | relevance to a group |
| long identification | Э́тот дом но́вый. | identifies/describes this house |
| short fixed | Вы пра́вы. | lexically preferred predicate |
Read the model
3.14 · Present-tense predicates · table 1
short · Кни́га интере́сна. · evaluative property; often edited/neutrallong · Кни́га интере́сная. · conversational descriptive predicateMini-check
Which is the safest form in Вы ... 'You are right'? Can long predicates describe temporary states?
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- Say the Russian examples aloud, cover the model, and retrieve the pattern once before continuing.