Chto, potomu chto, esli, kogda: two thoughts in one sentence
Two short sentences are stitched with a conjunction: "We are celebrating at home. The whole family is together" becomes My prazdnuem doma, potomu chto vsya semya vmeste. A comma stands before the conjunction, always — even before a short chto. For example: “Я люблю Новый год, потому что вся семья вместе” — I love New Year because the whole family is together. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples…
How it works
Two short sentences are stitched with a conjunction: "We are celebrating at home. The whole family is together" becomes My prazdnuem doma, potomu chto vsya semya vmeste. A comma stands before the conjunction, always — even before a short chto.
Word order inside the second half does not move: the verb stands where it would stand alone. Ya znayu, chto ty pridyosh zavtra — none of the reshuffling other languages do.
The conjunctions divide the work: chto retells someone's words, potomu chto gives the reason, esli builds a condition, kogda sets the time. The conclusion takes another word, poetomu: Ya boleyu, poetomu ostayus doma — no conjunction there, a consequence.
In speech the link is often trimmed: Ya znayu, chto pridyosh instead of chto ty pridyosh — an extra word falls out when the meaning is clear. In writing the comma and the order are required all the same.
Table
| Conjunction | The job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| chto | retells someone's words | Skazhi, chto pridyosh |
| potomu chto | gives the reason | Ostayus doma, potomu chto boleyu |
| esli | builds a condition | Esli budet sneg, gulyaem |
| kogda | sets the time | Kogda pridut gosti, otkroyu dver |
| poetomu | a conclusion, not a conjunction | Boleyu, poetomu ostayus doma |
By example
- Я люблю Новый год, потому что вся семья вместеYa lyublyu Novyy god, potomu chto vsya semya vmesteI love New Year because the whole family is together
- Если будет снег, гуляем весь деньEsli budet sneg, gulyaem ves denIf it snows, we walk all day
- Когда придут гости, я открою дверьKogda pridut gosti, ya otkroyu dverWhen the guests come, I will open the door
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Chto, potomu chto, esli, kogda: how does it work in Russian?
Two short sentences are stitched with a conjunction: "We are celebrating at home. The whole family is together" becomes My prazdnuem doma, potomu chto vsya semya vmeste. A comma stands before the conjunction, always — even before a short chto.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Я люблю Новый год, потому что вся семья вместе” (Ya lyublyu Novyy god, potomu chto vsya semya vmeste) — I love New Year because the whole family is together. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.