Это явно плюс.

In this sentence, это can often be understood as either this or it/that, depending on context.

So Это явно плюс can mean things like:

• This is clearly a plus
• That’s definitely a benefit
• It’s obviously an advantage

Russian это is very flexible. In short comments like this, it often points to a situation, fact, or feature that was just mentioned.

Because in Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• Это явно плюс literally looks like This clearly plus
• but it naturally means This is clearly a plus

This is completely normal Russian grammar. In the present tense, Russian often leaves out is/am/are in sentences where one thing is identified or described as another.

Compare:

• Он врач. = He is a doctor.
• Это проблема. = This is a problem.
• Это плюс. = This is a plus.

Явно is an adverb meaning:

• clearly
• obviously
• plainly
• sometimes definitely, depending on tone

In Это явно плюс, it strengthens the speaker’s judgment: the speaker thinks this is unmistakably a good point.

So the tone is something like:

• This is clearly a plus
• That’s definitely a good thing

It comes from the same word as mathematical plus, but here it is used figuratively.

In conversational Russian, плюс often means:

• an advantage
• a benefit
• a positive point
• a good thing

So Это явно плюс means that something counts in favor of something else.

The opposite is often минус:

• Это плюс. = That’s a plus.
• Это минус. = That’s a minus / drawback.

This is very common in spoken Russian.

Here плюс is in the nominative case, and that is normal.

In sentences like Это X, the noun after это is often in the nominative:

• Это проблема
• Это ошибка
• Это плюс

So плюс stays in its dictionary form.

For an English speaker, the important point is: after это in this kind of present-tense identification sentence, the noun is very often nominative.

Это явно плюс is the most natural order because явно smoothly modifies the whole judgment and leads into плюс.

It sounds like:

• This is clearly a plus

If you change the word order, the emphasis changes, and it may sound less natural in neutral speech.

For example:

• Это явно плюс. = neutral, natural
• Это плюс. = simpler, less emphatic
• Это точно плюс. = This is definitely a plus
• Это большой плюс. = This is a big advantage

So the original order is a normal, idiomatic way to say it.

Yes, very natural.

It sounds conversational and idiomatic, especially when someone is evaluating pros and cons.

For example:

• У него есть опыт — это явно плюс.
  He has experience — that’s clearly a plus.

• Цена высокая, но качество отличное — это плюс.
  The price is high, but the quality is excellent — that’s a plus.

Russian speakers commonly use плюс and минус this way when discussing advantages and disadvantages.

Good question — they are similar, but not identical.

• Это явно плюс = This is clearly/definitely a plus

  • явно is an adverb
  • it modifies the whole statement

• Это явный плюс = This is an obvious/clear advantage

  • явный is an adjective
  • it directly describes the noun плюс

So:

• явно = clearly
• явный = obvious, clear

Both are correct, but the structure is different.

Russian does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So плюс by itself can mean:

• a plus
• the plus
• just plus/advantage

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Это явно плюс can naturally correspond to This is clearly a plus in English, even though there is no separate word for a.

Yes. Плюс in this meaning is common and natural, but it does have a conversational feel.

It is especially common in:

• everyday speech
• reviews
• discussions of pros and cons
• workplace or practical evaluations

In more formal writing, someone might use words like:

• преимущество = advantage
• положительный момент = positive point
• достоинство = merit, strong point

But Это явно плюс is very idiomatic and widely used in normal speech.

The stress is:

• э́то
• я́вно
• плюс (single-syllable word, so stress is naturally there)

So roughly:

• Э́-то я́в-но плюс

The intonation usually falls on плюс if that is the key evaluation:

• Это явно плюс.

That makes плюс sound like the final conclusion: this is a positive point.