Editing Zero copula (section)

===Russian===
In [[Russian language|Russian]] the copula {{lang|ru|быть}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|byt’}}) is normally omitted in the [[present tense]], but not in the [[past tense|past]] and  [[future tense|future tenses]]:

Present (omitted):
*{{lang|ru|Она дома}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona doma}}, literally "She at home"), i.e., "She '''is now''' at home, in the house"
Past (used):
*{{lang|ru|Она была дома}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona byla doma}}, "She '''was''' at home")

The third person plural {{lang|ru|суть}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|sut’}}, "are") is still used in some standard phrases, but since it is a homonym of the noun "essence", most native speakers do not notice it to be a verb:
*{{lang|ru|Они суть одно и то же}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Oni sut’ odno i to zhe}}, "they are one and the same").

The verb {{lang|ru|быть}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|byt’}}) is the infinitive of "to be". The third person singular, {{lang|ru|есть}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|yest’}}), means "is". As a copula, it can be inflected into the past ({{lang|ru|был}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|byl}}), "future" ({{lang|ru|будет}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|budet}}), and conditional ({{lang|ru|был бы}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|byl by}}) forms. A present tense ({{lang|ru|есть}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|yest’}}) exists; however, it is almost never used as a copula, but rather omitted altogether or replaced by the verb {{lang|ru|являться}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|yavlyat'sa}}, "to be in essence"). Thus one can say:
*{{lang|ru|Она была красавицей}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona byla krasavitsej}}, "she was a beautiful woman")—predicate noun in [[instrumental case]].
*{{lang|ru|Она красавица}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona krasavitsa}}, "she is a beautiful woman")—predicate noun in the [[nominative case]].
*{{lang|ru|Она является красавицей}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona yavlyayetsya krasavitsej}}, "she is a beautiful woman")—predicate noun also in instrumental.

But not usually:
*{{lang|ru|Она есть красавица}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Ona yest’ krasavitsa}}, "she is a beautiful woman"), which would be very formal and would suggest something more than a copula, something more existential than the normal English use of "is". As a result, this construction is quite rare.

But in some cases the verb {{lang|ru|быть}} in the present tense (form {{lang|ru|есть}}) is employed: {{lang|ru|Будь тем, кто ты есть}} (Be who you are).

The present tense of the copula in Russian was in common use well into the 19th century (as attested in the works of [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]]) but is now used only for [[archaism|archaic]] effect (analogous to "[[thou]] art" in English).