Breakdown of Свежий хлеб очень вкусный, но не полезный.
не
not
хлеб
bread
очень
very
вкусный
tasty
но
but
свежий
fresh
полезный
healthy, good for you (of food) / useful
Questions & Answers about Свежий хлеб очень вкусный, но не полезный.
Why is there a comma before но?
In Russian, you almost always put a comma before the conjunction но (but) to show a contrast between two ideas. Unlike English, this rule applies even in very short sentences like this one!
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
There isn't one! Russian drops the verb "to be" (am/is/are) in the present tense. You simply state the subject (свежий хлеб - fresh bread) and follow it directly with its description (очень вкусный - very tasty).
Why do the words вкусный and полезный end in -ый?
They are adjectives describing хлеб (bread), which is a masculine noun. Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe, and -ый is a common ending for masculine adjectives. (You might notice свежий ends in -ий instead—this is just a spelling rule after the letter ж!)
I've seen полезный translated as "useful". Why does it mean "healthy" here?
Полезный literally means "useful" or "beneficial." When you use it to talk about food, drinks, or habits, it means it is "useful for your body"—which is exactly how Russians say that a food is "healthy."
Learn Свежий хлеб очень вкусный, но не полезный and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free