Question 1

Why is it эти and not just это?

Accepted Answer

Это is often used by itself to mean "this is" (like Это джинсы - "These are jeans"). But when you want to say "these specific jeans", you need the plural matching word эти. So эти джинсы means "these jeans".

Question 2

Is the word джинсы always plural, just like "jeans" in English?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Just like in English, words for clothes with two legs like джинсы (jeans) or брюки (pants) are always plural in Russian. That is why every word connected to it in this sentence—эти, дешёвые, and дорогие—must also be in the plural form.

Question 3

Why does дешёвые end in -ые but дорогие ends in -ие?

Accepted Answer

Both are plural adjectives. The standard plural ending is -ые, which we see in дешёвые. However, Russian has a strict spelling rule: you can never write the letter ы after г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, or щ. Since the stem of дорогие ends in г, we are forced to change the ending to -ие.

Question 4

Why do we use а не here instead of но не?

Accepted Answer

The word а is perfect for pointing out direct contrasts, especially when saying "this, not that." While но means "but" and is used for an unexpected twist (like "cheap but ugly"), а simply sets up a direct comparison. Here, а не translates perfectly to "and not" or "rather than".

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