Questions & Answers about Семьсот рублей — это много.
How is the number семьсот (seven hundred) formed?
Семьсот is a compound word made of семь (seven) and сот, which is the genitive plural form of сто (hundred). In Russian, the hundreds from 500 to 900 always end in -сот.
Why does the sentence use рублей instead of рубля?
When dealing with numbers, the noun's case depends on the last number spoken. Numbers from 5 to 20, as well as multiples of 10 and 100 (like семьсот), require the noun to be in the genitive plural. Because рубль is a masculine noun ending in a soft sign, its genitive plural is рублей.
What is the purpose of the dash (—) in this sentence?
Russian does not use a present-tense verb for "to be" (like "am", "is", or "are"). When a sentence equates a subject with a definition or evaluation, written Russian uses an em dash (—) to stand in for that missing verb.
Why is это included if the English translation just says "is a lot"?
When making a general evaluation or equating two things, Russian frequently uses the pattern "[Subject] — это [evaluation]". The word это acts as a verbal pointer. A more literal translation would be "Seven hundred roubles — that is a lot."