Рассеянный студент же часто теряет тетрадь и забывает домашнее задание.

An absent-minded student, however, often loses his notebook and forgets the homework.

Breakdown of Рассеянный студент же часто теряет тетрадь и забывает домашнее задание.

• и: and
• часто: often
• задание: the assignment
• студент: the student

Questions & Answers about Рассеянный студент же часто теряет тетрадь и забывает домашнее задание.

What does the particle же do in this sentence? Does it translate to “but” or “and”?

The particle же is hard to translate directly; it adds nuance rather than core meaning.

In Рассеянный студент же часто теряет тетрадь…, же can:

• Emphasize that this particular student is like that:
  “This absent‑minded student, you know, often loses his notebook…”
• Slightly contrast him with some implied norm or other students:
  “The absent‑minded student, on the other hand, often loses his notebook…”

Depending on context, же can feel like:

• “you know”, “as you know”
• “after all”
• “but / whereas” (weak contrast)

It doesn’t mean “and”. It’s more like a small emotional or discourse marker: it ties the sentence to what was said or assumed before.

Can I just remove же and say Рассеянный студент часто теряет тетрадь…? What changes?

Yes, you can remove же. The sentence:

• Рассеянный студент часто теряет тетрадь и забывает домашнее задание.

is perfectly correct.

The difference:

• Without же: a neutral, factual description.
  “The absent‑minded student often loses his notebook and forgets his homework.”
• With же: adds a hint of attitude/context, e.g. “That absent‑minded student (as we know) often loses…”, or “This particular student, unlike others, often loses…”

So же is optional; it changes the tone, not the basic meaning.