Это не стоит стресса.

It isn’t worth the stress.

Breakdown of Это не стоит стресса.

• не: not
• это: it
• стресс: the stress
• стоить: should

Questions & Answers about Это не стоит стресса.

Why does the sentence start with Это? What does it refer to?

Это is a neutral “this/it” used to point to a situation, action, or idea already known from context (e.g., an argument, a task, a decision). It’s a very common way to say “This/It isn’t worth …” in Russian.
You can often drop it in conversation if the context is clear: Не стоит стресса. (more casual, more elliptical)

What exactly does не стоит mean here? Is it the same verb as “to cost (money)”?

Yes, it’s the same verb стоить = “to cost / to be worth.”
In this pattern не стоит + [Genitive], it’s usually idiomatic: “isn’t worth (the trouble/stress/etc.).”
So Это не стоит стресса = “It’s not worth the stress.”

Why is стресса in the genitive case?

Because стоить requires the thing “costing/being worth” to be expressed in the genitive:

• стоить (чего?) → стресса, времени, денег, усилий
  So it’s not “genitive because of negation” here; it’s simply the verb’s normal government.

What form is стоит? What tense/person is it?

стоит is present tense, 3rd person singular: (оно/это) стоит = “(it) costs/is worth.”
Full present forms (useful to recognize):

• я стою (rare in this meaning), ты стоишь, он/она/оно стоит, мы стоим, вы стоите, они стоят

How would I say this in the past or future?

Past: Это не стоило стресса. (“It wasn’t worth the stress.”)
Future (less common, but possible): Это не будет стоить стресса. (“It won’t be worth the stress.”)
Very common conversational alternative: Не стоит было стресса. (roughly “Wasn’t worth the stress.”)

Can I change the word order? Does it change the emphasis?

Yes. Word order is flexible and changes emphasis:

• Это не стоит стресса. (neutral)
• Стресса это не стоит. (emphasizes стресса: “It’s not worth stress (specifically).”)
• Это стресса не стоит. (also emphasizes the “not worth” part; conversational)

How do you pronounce it? Where is the stress?

• Это: stress on the first syllable: Э́-то (like “EH-tuh”)
• стоит: stress on the second syllable: сто-и́т (roughly “sta-EET”)
• стресса: stress on the first syllable: стре́с-са
  Full: Э́то не сто-и́т стре́с-са.

Is стресс a normal Russian word? Why is it written with double с?

стресс is a very common loanword in modern Russian (neutral, everyday). It’s spelled with double с because that’s the conventional spelling of the borrowed noun стресс.
Genitive singular keeps it: стресса.

Is this sentence natural, and when would Russians say it?

Yes, it’s natural and sounds like calm advice or reassurance. You might say it when someone is overthinking, worrying, or getting worked up: “Don’t stress—this isn’t worth it.”
Similar natural variants: Это не стоит нервов. (“not worth the nerves”) or Это того не стоит. (“it’s not worth it”)

How is Это не стоит стресса different from Это того не стоит?

Это того не стоит is the most general “It’s not worth it.”
Это не стоит стресса is more specific: it names what it’s not worth—stress.
So …стресса highlights the particular “cost” you’re talking about (emotional strain), while того keeps it vague and universal.

Can не стоит also be used with an infinitive (like “not worth doing”)?

Yes, a very common pattern is не стоит + infinitive:

• Не стоит переживать. (“It’s not worth worrying.” / “Don’t worry.”)
• Не стоит тратить время. (“It’s not worth wasting time.”)
  That’s another way to express the same idea without naming a “cost noun” like стресса.