In this video lesson, you'll learn how to translate the English personal pronoun "it" into Russian correctly.
Replacing Inanimate Things and Animals
"It" is a personal pronoun we use as a simple substitute for a noun or simply a word that names something, such as a place, thing, or idea. This pronoun helps us to avoid repetition.
In English, we tend to use "it" when we need to replace a noun referring to inanimate things and animals. However, Russian is a gendered language. That's why the personal pronouns "он / она / оно / они" are used to translate "it".
Where is the phone? It's in the living room.
Где телефон? Он в гостиной.
The post office is over there but it isn't working.
Почта там, но она не работает.
The radio isn't working. No, it is working.
Радио не работает. Нет, оно работает.
The watch isn't working. Why isn't it working?
Часы не работают. Почему они не работают?
We just looked at the nominative case examples with the personal pronouns "он / она / оно / они" standing in front of the verb in both statement and question sentences. These pronouns can also be used in prepositional, accusative, dative, instrumental or genitive cases.
My sister took the phone with her. My sister took it with her.
Моя сестра взяла телефон с собой. Моя сестра взяла его с собой.
My son is playing with a cat. My son is playing with it.
Мой сын играет с кошкой. Мой сын играет с ней.
Time Expressions
We also use "it" in English sentences communicating time and dates. However, we don't translate the English pronoun "it" into Russian in such sentences.
It’s 7 pm now. Сейчас 7 часов вечера.
It’s getting dark. Темнеет.
It’s quarter to three now. Сейчас без четверти 3.
It was the 1st of June yesterday. Вчера было первое июня.
It’s my birthday today. Сегодня мой день рождения.
It’s time to go to bed. Пора ложиться спать.
It’s time for you to buy a new car. Тебе пора купить новую машину.
It took me years to understand him. Мне потребовались годы, чтобы понять его.
How long does it take to get to Siberia? Сколько потребуется времени, чтобы добраться до Сибири?
Weather Expressions
Similarly, we don't translate the English pronoun "it" into Russian in sentences referring to the weather.
It’s raining. Идёт дождь.
It snowed yesterday. Вчера шёл снег.
It will be sunny tomorrow. Завтра будет солнечно.
It’s cold outside. На улице холодно.
It's hot in Spain. В Испании жарко.
Infinitive Structures
We don't translate "it" into Russian when it describes actions and is followed by the infinitive form of the verb.
It’s difficult to learn Russian. Учить русский язык трудно.
It’s nice to talk to you. С тобой приятно поговорить.
It’s very expensive to travel in Japan. Путешествовать по Японии очень дорого.
Probability, Possibility & Necessity
We can't directly translate English sentences with "it seems", "it appears", "it's possible" or "it's necessary" into Russian.
It appears that she will not come. Кажется, она не придёт.
It seems to me that he will not come. Мне кажется, что он не придёт.
Is it possible to change tickets? Возможно ли поменять билеты?
Is it necessary to change trains? Пересадка необходима?
Final Thoughts
I noticed that students who have just started learning Russian tend to overuse "это" in their sentences. So try to memorize the examples above to perfect your conversational skills.
Here is a final tip for you: outside of the examples mentioned before, if you can replace the English personal pronoun "it" with the demonstrative pronoun "this" (*and the meaning remains almost the same), then we can translate "it" as "это":
It's a strange story. =* This/That is a strange story. Это странная история.
It’s incredible. =* This/That is incredible. Это невероятно.
It took me years to understand it / this. Мне потребовались годы, чтобы понять это.
Is it / this free? Это бесплатно?
Is it / that far from here? Это далеко отсюда?
Practice Time
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