Learn Hardcore Russian: Я уважаю твоё мнение, даже если не согласен полностью. - I respect your opinion, even if I don’t completely agree.

The word твоё is the neuter singular form of the possessive pronoun твой, and by standard orthography it uses ё. In Russian, replacing ё with е in writing is a common informal shortcut, but in formal texts—especially teaching materials—using ё clarifies pronunciation (it’s always stressed) and avoids ambiguity (e.g., е could be read in different ways).

Why is мнение neuter, and why do we use твоё rather than твой?

Every Russian noun has a grammatical gender. Мнение (opinion) ends in -е, which is a typical ending for neuter nouns. Therefore any modifying pronoun must agree in gender, number, and case: твоё is neuter nominative singular to match мнение.

What tense and person is уважаю, and how does it relate to Я?

Уважаю is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb уважать (to respect). It implies the subject я (“I”), so you can say either Я уважаю or just уважаю in spoken Russian. Here я is explicit for clarity and emphasis.

Why is there no я in the clause даже если не согласен полностью?

In Russian, the subject pronoun can be omitted if it’s clear from the verb or context. In this subordinate clause there is no verb form to show person (see next question), but Russian still allows dropping я because the meaning (“even if I…”) is understood from the speaker’s perspective.

Why is согласен an adjective and not a verb, and why is there no с (with) before не согласен?

Согласен is a short-form adjective meaning “in agreement,” not a verb. The full construction is согласен с чем-то (“in agreement with something”). In our sentence, с твоим мнением is omitted because it’s already mentioned — this is called ellipsis. So не согласен literally means “not in agreement (with it).”

What’s the difference between если and даже если here?

Если means “if,” introducing a condition. Даже если means “even if,” adding a concessive nuance: the speaker respects the opinion regardless of whether they agree completely. It emphasizes that agreement is not a prerequisite for respect.

Why is there a comma before даже если?

In Russian, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like если, что, когда, etc., are usually set off by a comma from the main clause. Here даже если не согласен полностью is a concessive subordinate clause, so we place a comma before даже если.

Could полностью appear elsewhere, for example не полностью согласен? If so, is there a difference?

Yes, you could say даже если не полностью согласен. Both orders are grammatically correct. Placing полностью after согласен (original) slightly emphasizes the state of agreement (“not fully”), whereas не полностью согласен puts a bit more focus on the incompleteness itself. The difference is subtle and mostly stylistic.