Breakdown of Цветная капуста полезнее, чем жареный картофель.
чем
than
картофель
the potato
жареный
fried
полезнее
healthier
Questions & Answers about Цветная капуста полезнее, чем жареный картофель.
Why does цветная капуста mean cauliflower if it literally looks like colored cabbage?
This is just the normal Russian name for cauliflower.
- цветная = colored / flowering
- капуста = cabbage
Historically, the name is connected to the flower-like head of cauliflower, not to it being multicolored. So even though the literal parts may seem strange, цветная капуста is simply the standard word for cauliflower.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.
So where English says:
- Cauliflower is healthier than fried potatoes
Russian normally says:
- Цветная капуста полезнее, чем жареный картофель.
There is no present-tense есть here. Using есть in this sentence would usually sound unnatural.
Why is it полезнее and not полезная or полезный?