Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement in Complex Sentences

When learning Russian, it's super important to make sure that subjects (who or what the sentence talks about) and verbs (the action words) match. This makes your sentences sound right! This guide will help you understand how to do this in complex sentences, which might have extra parts called subordinate clauses, as well as adjectives and adverbs.

1. Basic Agreement Rules:

In Russian, the subject and the verb need to fit together in number (singular or plural) and person (who is doing the action).

• Singular Subject: If the subject is one person or thing, the verb should also be singular.

  • Example: Мальчик читает книгу. (The boy reads a book.)

• Plural Subject: If the subject includes more than one person or thing, the verb should also be plural.

  • Example: Мальчики читают книги. (The boys read books.)

2. Agreement in Complex Sentences:

Complex sentences have one main part and one or more extra parts (subordinate clauses). It’s really important that the subjects and verbs in these sentences match, especially if the subjects are different.

• Structure: [Main Clause] + [Subordinate Clause]

• Example:

  • Я думаю, что девочка бегает каждый день. (I think that the girl runs every day.)
    • Here, “Я думаю” (I think) has the subject “я” (I), which is singular. So, the verb “думаю” (think) must also be singular.
    • In the subordinate clause “что девочка бегает” (that the girl runs), "девочка" (the girl) is also singular. Therefore, "бегает" (runs) also needs to be singular.

3. Issues with Plural Subjects:

If the subject in the main clause is plural but the subordinate clause has a different subject, make sure both verbs match correctly.

• Example:
  • Мы знаем, что девочки учатся хорошо. (We know that the girls study well.)
    • The subject "мы" (we) in the main clause is plural, so the verb "знаем" (know) is also plural.
    • In the subordinate clause "что девочки учатся," the subject "девочки" (the girls) is also plural, so "учатся" (study) needs to be plural too.

4. Compound Subjects:

When you have compound subjects (two or more subjects joined by "и" / "and"), the verb must match the plural subject.

• Example:
  • Мама и папа готовят ужин. (Mom and Dad are cooking dinner.)
    • The subjects “Мама” (Mom) and “папа” (Dad) are both singular, but together they form a plural subject. So, the verb “готовят” (are cooking) is plural.

5. Placement of Adjectives and Adverbs:

In Russian, adjectives (words that describe nouns) usually go before the nouns. Adverbs (words that describe verbs or adjectives) often come after the verbs or adjectives. This order should not change the agreement.

• Example With Adjective:

  • Умные мальчики читают быстро. (The smart boys read quickly.)
    • “Умные” (smart) comes before “мальчики” (boys), and the verb “читают” (read) fits with the plural subject.

• Example With Adverb:

  • Он хорошо поет. (He sings well.)
    • The adverb "хорошо" (well) comes after the verb "поет" (sings), keeping everything clear and matched.

By following these rules, you can create complex sentences in Russian where subjects and verbs agree. This will help improve your Russian skills and make it easier to communicate! Practice these examples to feel more comfortable with these concepts.