Breakdown of Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
Questions & Answers about Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
What does the pattern мало того что ..., так ещё и ... mean?
It is a fixed emphatic pattern meaning something like:
- not only ..., but ... as well
- as if ... weren’t enough, ... too
- on top of that, ...
In this sentence:
- Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
the speaker is complaining that one bad thing is happening, and then adds another annoying thing.
So the structure is not just neutral A and B. It expresses annoyance or piling on of problems.
Why is it мало того что and not something more literal like не только ... но и ...?
Both are possible, but they are different in tone.
- не только ..., но и ... = neutral not only ..., but also ...
- мало того что ..., так ещё и ... = more emotional, often complaining, meaning as if that weren’t enough...
Compare:
Не только посудомоечная машина шумит, но и вытяжка не работает.
Neutral statement of two facts.Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка не работает.
Sounds irritated: one problem is already bad enough, and there is another one too.
Why is there a comma before так ещё и?
Because this sentence contains two clauses:
- посудомоечная машина шумит
- вытяжка сегодня не работает
The first clause is introduced by the fixed conjunction мало того что, and then the second clause follows with так ещё и.
So the comma separates the two parts:
- Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
You can think of the first part as Not only is the dishwasher noisy, ... and the second as ... but on top of that the extractor isn’t working today.
Is мало того что a single expression, or should I understand each word separately?
For learners, it is best to treat мало того что as a set expression.
Literally, the words are:
- мало = little / not enough
- того = of that
- что = that
But the meaning of the whole expression is idiomatic. It does not mean something like little of that that... in normal English. It functions as a discourse pattern meaning:
- not only that...
- as if that weren’t enough...
So yes, you can analyze the pieces, but in practice you should learn the whole chunk.
What does так ещё и add here?
Так ещё и strengthens the second part and gives the sentence its complaining, cumulative feel.
Roughly, it means:
- and on top of that
- and moreover
- and to make matters worse
In this pattern:
- мало того что X, так ещё и Y
the second part так ещё и Y is what makes the sentence sound especially emphatic.
If you removed some of it, the sentence might still be understandable, but it would lose some of its natural force.
Why is it посудомоечная машина? Is that just how Russian says dishwasher?
Yes. Russian often uses a descriptive phrase where English uses a single word.
- посудомоечная машина literally means dish-washing machine
- In normal usage, it means dishwasher
Breakdown:
- посуда = dishes
- мыть / моечный = to wash / washing
- машина = machine
The adjective посудомоечная agrees with машина, which is feminine singular, so the adjective is also feminine singular.
Why is вытяжка feminine?
Because вытяжка is a noun ending in -а, which usually means it is feminine.
So:
- вытяжка = feminine singular
- therefore the verb in the past would also agree as feminine if needed
- but here the verb is in the present: не работает, which does not show gender
In this sentence, вытяжка means the extractor hood / range hood / kitchen hood.
Why are the verbs шумит and не работает in the present tense?
Because the sentence describes current ongoing states.
- шумит = is making noise / is noisy
- не работает = is not working
Russian often uses the present tense where English might choose either:
- simple present: the dishwasher makes noise
- or present continuous: the dishwasher is making noise
Here, in natural English, the best translation is usually ongoing:
- The dishwasher is making noise
- The extractor hood isn’t working today
Both Russian verbs are imperfective, which is normal for ongoing states or repeated/current situations.
Why is it сегодня не работает and not сегодня не работаеться or something else?
The normal verb here is работать = to work / function.
So:
- вытяжка не работает = the extractor hood isn’t working
You do not use a reflexive form here. Работаться exists, but it means something completely different, like to be able to work easily / to feel like working, usually about a person:
- Мне сегодня не работается. = I just can’t get into working today.
That is unrelated to machines functioning.
So for appliances, use:
- машина работает / не работает
- вытяжка работает / не работает
Why is сегодня placed before не работает?
Russian word order is flexible, and сегодня can move around depending on emphasis.
Here:
- так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает
sounds natural and means and on top of that the extractor hood isn’t working today.
Other possible orders include:
- так ещё и сегодня вытяжка не работает
- так ещё и вытяжка не работает сегодня
These are all possible, but they differ slightly in rhythm or emphasis.
The given version is a very natural middle-ground order.
Could и after ещё be omitted?
Sometimes, yes, but the full phrase так ещё и is very common and natural.
Compare:
- так ещё и вытяжка не работает
- так ещё вытяжка не работает
The version with и sounds more complete and idiomatic in this pattern. It helps link the second complaint more strongly.
So for learners, it is safest to remember the whole chunk:
- мало того что ..., так ещё и ...
What case is того in, and do I need to worry about it much?
Того is the genitive singular form of то.
But in this expression, most learners do not need to analyze it deeply every time. The important thing is that:
- мало того что is a fixed phrase
If you try to build it word-by-word every time, it may feel confusing. It is better to memorize the construction as one unit, just as you would memorize an English phrase like as if that weren’t enough.
So yes, grammatically it is genitive, but practically the bigger point is the idiom as a whole.
Does this sentence sound formal or conversational?
It is natural spoken or informal written Russian. It sounds conversational and expressive.
The sentence has a mild complaining tone, like someone talking about household annoyances:
- the dishwasher is noisy
- and, to make matters worse, the extractor hood is not working today
It is not slang, and it is not rude. It is simply expressive everyday Russian.
Can I use this pattern with positive things too, or is it mostly negative?
It is mostly used when piling on something surprising, emphatic, or often annoying. Very often the tone is negative.
For example, this sentence is clearly negative:
- the dishwasher is noisy
- the hood doesn’t work
You can sometimes use the pattern in other emphatic contexts, but for learners it is safest to associate it with:
- complaints
- frustration
- as if that weren’t enough...
So in everyday use, think of it as a pattern that often introduces an additional problem.
If I wanted a simpler version of this sentence, what could I say?
A simpler, less idiomatic version would be:
- Посудомоечная машина шумит, и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
The dishwasher is noisy, and the extractor hood isn’t working today.
Or a neutral not only ... but also version:
- Не только посудомоечная машина шумит, но и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
But the original:
- Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает.
is more expressive and sounds more like a real complaint.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning RussianMaster Russian — from Мало того что посудомоечная машина шумит, так ещё и вытяжка сегодня не работает to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions