Хоть я и устал, я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила.

The pattern хоть ... и ... is a common way to express concession, similar to:

• although
• even though
• despite the fact that

So:

• Хоть я и устал = Although I’m tired / Even though I’m tired

A few useful notes:

• хоть here does not mean at least. In this sentence it is a conjunction-like word meaning although / even if.
• The и adds emphasis and is very common in this structure.
• You will also often see хотя instead of хоть:
  • Хотя я устал, ...
  • Хоть я и устал, ...

Both are correct, but хоть ... и ... often feels a little more conversational or emphatic.

In this structure, the и is part of the concessive pattern хоть ... и ....

It does not mean and here. Instead, it helps reinforce the idea of even though.

So:

• Хоть я устал = possible, but less complete in this pattern
• Хоть я и устал = the standard, very natural version

You can think of it as part of a fixed expression:

• хоть + subject + и + predicate

Examples:

• Хоть он и молод, он очень опытный.
  Even though he is young, he is very experienced.
• Хоть было и поздно, мы продолжали работать.
  Even though it was late, we kept working.

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers.

Устал is formally the masculine past tense of устать (to become tired), but in Russian it is very often used to describe a present state:

• Я устал = I am tired
• literally, it is closer to I became tired

Russian often expresses states this way, especially when the state is understood as the result of a change.

Compare:

• Я устал. = I’m tired.
• Я замёрз. = I’m cold / I got cold.
• Я проголодался. = I’m hungry / I got hungry.

So even though the form is past tense, the meaning in context is often present.

Because устал and усталый are related but used differently.

• устал = a verb form from устать; it describes a state resulting from becoming tired
• усталый = an adjective meaning tired

In many everyday sentences, Russian prefers Я устал rather than Я усталый.

Compare:

• Я устал. = the most natural way to say I’m tired
• Я усталый. = understandable, but more descriptive; it can sound like I’m a tired person / I look tired

So in this sentence, устал is the most natural choice.

Всё равно means something like:

• all the same
• anyway
• still
• nevertheless

In this sentence:

• я всё равно хочу понять = I still want to understand / I want to understand anyway

It emphasizes that the desire remains true despite the previous clause.

This works very naturally with the concessive opening:

• Хоть я и устал = Even though I’m tired
• я всё равно хочу... = I still / nevertheless want...

So the whole sentence has a nice contrast: Even though I’m tired, I still want to understand...

Russian often repeats the subject when the sentence has two clauses, especially when that sounds clearer or more balanced.

So:

• Хоть я и устал, я всё равно хочу... = very natural
• Хоть я и устал, всё равно хочу... = also possible in conversation, but less explicit

Repeating я helps mark the start of the main clause after the comma.

English also often does this:

• Although I’m tired, I still want...

Even though English does not repeat I in exactly the same way, the Russian repetition feels natural and standard.

Because the sentence has two clauses:

1. Хоть я и устал — subordinate concessive clause
2. я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила — main clause

Russian uses a comma to separate them, just as English does with clauses like:

• Although I’m tired, I still want to understand...

So the comma is required here.

Because понять is perfective and means to understand / to grasp / to figure out in the sense of reaching understanding.

• хочу понять = I want to understand / I want to figure out
• хочу понимать would mean more like I want to be able to understand or I want to understand in general, which is less natural here

This sentence is about a specific goal: reaching understanding of a specific rule.

So:

• хочу понять смысл этого правила = I want to understand the meaning/sense of this rule

That is why the perfective infinitive понять fits best.

Смысл means:

• meaning
• sense
• point

In this sentence, смысл этого правила means something like:

• the meaning of this rule
• the point of this rule
• the logic behind this rule

For language learning, смысл правила often suggests not just the wording of the rule, but the idea behind it—why it works, what it is trying to express.

Because смысл requires the genitive case for the thing whose meaning or sense you are talking about.

So:

• смысл чего? = the meaning of what?
• смысл этого правила = the meaning of this rule

Here:

• этого is genitive singular of этот
• правила is genitive singular of правило

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• начало урока = the beginning of the lesson
• конец фильма = the end of the film
• суть проблемы = the essence of the problem
• смысл слова = the meaning of the word

Good observation. In the genitive singular, masculine and neuter forms of этот look the same:

• masculine/neuter genitive singular: этого
• feminine genitive singular: этой

Since правило is neuter, the correct form is still этого:

• nominative: это правило
• genitive: этого правила

So even though правило is neuter, этого is exactly right.

The sentence as written is very natural:

• Хоть я и устал, я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила.

But Russian word order is flexible, and you could change it for emphasis.

For example:

• Я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила, хоть я и устал.
  This puts the main point first and the concession second.

You can also shift emphasis inside the sentence:

• Хоть я и устал, всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила.
  More conversational; the second я is omitted.

Still, the original version is probably the clearest and most neutral for a learner.

Yes.

You could say:

• Хотя я устал, я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила.

This is also correct and very natural.

The difference is roughly this:

• хотя = the standard word for although
• хоть ... и ... = also means although / even though, often with a slightly stronger or more conversational concessive feel

So both work, but the original sentence uses a very common Russian pattern that learners should recognize.

Historically it is the same word, but in the expression всё равно, you should learn it as a fixed phrase.

By itself:

• всё = everything

But in:

• мне всё равно
• я всё равно пойду
• он всё равно не согласится

the phrase means:

• it makes no difference
• anyway
• still
• all the same

So in this sentence, do not translate it word by word. Treat всё равно as one unit.

It is completely natural.

It sounds like something a learner, student, or thoughtful speaker might genuinely say:

• Хоть я и устал, я всё равно хочу понять смысл этого правила.

It is grammatically correct, idiomatic, and clear. It combines several very common Russian features:

• хоть ... и ... for concession
• я устал for I’m tired
• всё равно for still / anyway
• хочу понять for a specific goal of understanding
• смысл чего?
  • genitive

So it is an excellent sentence to study.