Questions & Answers about Стипендия была маленькой, зато полезной.
What does зато mean here? Is it just another way to say но (“but”)?
Зато is a contrastive conjunction, often translated as “but,” “but at least,” “on the other hand,” or “however” with a compensating nuance.
In Стипендия была маленькой, зато полезной, the idea is:
- “The scholarship was small, but at least it was useful.”
- “The scholarship was small, on the other hand it was useful.”
So compared with но:
- но = simple contrast: X but Y.
- зато = contrast with compensation: X (negative), but Y (positive, makes up for it).
You could say:
- Стипендия была маленькой, но полезной. – stylistically neutral.
- Стипендия была маленькой, зато полезной. – emphasizes the “compensation” of being useful.
Why are маленькой and полезной in the form ending in -ой, not маленькая / полезная?