57 Comments
Because it isn't outside the edge of the tree. In the same way, you "sit in an armchair". "Up the tree" is also correct, which I've flagged.
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Russians would be translated "the cat is in the tree" to Russian as "кошка в дереве". This would be meant "the cat in the hollow in the tree" or "in the tree trunk".))
I believe it should be "on the tree", let's have a look into the dictionary http://www.lingvo-online.ru/en/Translate/ru-en/%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5 на = (сверху, на поверхности) on
"The cat is on the tree" sounds wrong in English. "The cat is in the tree" is the natural way of expressing the meaning of the sentence above.
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"The cat is on the tree" can be right...if the cat is nailed too the tree...
Translating prepositions is usually tricky, because they do not map one-to-one. This is exactly an example: while usually в=in and на=on, the type of relation a cat has with a tree is described with на in Russian and with in in English.
In addition to what's already been said... and to make things even more fun, 'на' also means "on" as in literally on top of something. For example "on the table" = "на столе".
The rules are rarely simple and there are many exceptions. The way I figured this one out was that well, the cat's not inside ('в') the tree so I guess it's the other option.
I wrote “on” and it accepted.
On the tree would be if the cat was at the very top and there were no other branches or leaves, because there are usually branches and leaves, the cat would be surrounded by other tree matter, making the cat "in" the tree.
It seems like when "there is" is involved, you somehow have to work есть into the sentence: google translate suggests
в дереве есть кошка
for your sentence.
I have seen this есть = "there is" elsewhere on numerous occasions, e.g. «тарелка на столе/на столе есть тарелка»
"A/the plate is on the table/there is a plate on the table"
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It's explained in the tips & notes to the lesson (prepositional case).
https://www.duolingo.com/skill/ru/Where-is-it%3F/tips-and-notes
You're missing the verb "to be" in that sentence. You have a subject and a location, but nothing that ties them together in a syntax-approved manner. "A/the cat is in the tree" would be accepted.
So if someone asked "which cat are you talking about?" And i replied "the cat in the tree" what would that be in Russian?
The first letter is capitalized and there is a period at the end to show that this is a sentence instead of just a phrase.
But grammatically, it's not a complete sentence in English (it doesn't have a predicate, even implicitly), and just putting a period on the end and capitalizing the first letter doesn't change that. "Cat." and "And." have the first letters capitalized and periods at the end, but they're not sentences either.
Right, it may sound right to non native english speakers however the cat could rest on a branch while it's in the area the tree encompasses. :) This isn't fun for anyone, the scheming cat itself wanted to be on the tree, lucky for everyone - Good grammer won!
это is "there is" for male ,эта is "there is" for female, while этот is "this one" for male
So far the discussion is about "in" or "on" THE tree. But the answer given as correct is in A tree! Are both (A and THE) correct?
I wrote, the cat is in the tree, and it was wrong because I didn't use "a" tree. ????
The cat is in (and among) {the branches of} the tree [English thinking]; The cat is on the tree (not somewhere within the trunk) [Russian thinking].
Let us remember that there are different ways of understanding the same basic concepts -and that that is a plus for our world (to see things in other perspectives than our own -perchance to grow!). I do not enjoy making points of contention, rather the former is why I am motivated to the study of languages! More grammar help, less frivolous law suits (pun intended).
Except it really doesn't mean the same thing in English. Most of the time in English, "on" (for physical location) should be thought of as "on top of". "The cat is on [top of] the tree" doesn't make much sense. When an American English-speaker says, "The cat is in the tree", it means that the cat is located, for instance, on a branch or limb of the tree, or is using it's claws to hold on to a vertical surface.
As pointed out in another comment «в деребе» would mean that the cat is literally inside the tree, as in a hole in the trunk.
