Learn Hardcore Russian: Сейчас у нас мало учебников, зато у меня есть хороший словарь. - Right now we have few textbooks, but I have a good dictionary.

мало is a quantifier meaning “few” or “too little,” and it always governs the genitive case. That’s why учебник (nominative singular) becomes учебников (genitive plural) here.

What’s the difference between мало учебников and немного учебников?

мало учебников implies “not enough textbooks,” often with a slightly negative nuance (“too few”). немного учебников simply means “some textbooks,” with a neutral or mildly positive tone.

Why does the sentence say у нас мало учебников instead of мы имеем мало учебников?

In everyday Russian, possession or availability is expressed with у + genitive pronoun (“at someone’s”) rather than the verb иметь. So “we have few textbooks” is naturally у нас мало учебников, not мы имеем мало учебников (which sounds formal or awkward).

There’s no есть in у нас мало учебников. Is that correct?

Yes. In present-tense existential or possessive constructions with у + genitive, Russian usually omits есть. You can include it (у нас есть мало учебников), but it’s more common to leave it out.

What does зато mean, and how is it used here?

зато is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but on the other hand,” “however,” or “whereas.” It introduces a contrasting positive fact: we lack textbooks, but on the other hand, I have a good dictionary.

Why is словарь in the nominative case after у меня есть?

In the construction у + genitive pronoun + есть + noun, the noun that follows есть stands in the nominative because it functions like the subject of an existential sentence (“there is a good dictionary at my disposal”).

Can we drop есть in у меня есть хороший словарь without changing the meaning?

Yes. In spoken and written Russian, present-tense есть is often omitted: у меня хороший словарь still means “I have a good dictionary.”

Why is the adjective хороший ending in -ий?

словарь is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, and here it’s singular and in the nominative case. The adjective хороший agrees with it in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (nominative), hence the -ий ending.

What role does Сейчас play at the beginning of the sentence?

Сейчас means “now” or “currently.” Placing it at the start establishes the time frame (“Right now we have few textbooks…”). Russian word order is flexible, so moving сейчас to the front simply emphasizes when this situation holds true.