Breakdown of Контракт кажется выгодным, однако настоящая выгода намного меньше.
намного
much, by far
меньше
less (quantity or size)
казаться
to seem
контракт
contract (commercial, employment)
настоящий
real
однако
however
выгодный
profitable / cost-effective
выгода
benefit
Questions & Answers about Контракт кажется выгодным, однако настоящая выгода намного меньше.
Could I just use но instead of однако in this sentence?
Yes, you could. Both mean "but" or "however" and are grammatically interchangeable here. The difference is mainly in tone: однако is slightly more formal and emphasizes the contrast a bit more strongly, much like choosing "however" over "but" in English.
Why is the adjective выгодным in the instrumental case here?
The verb казаться (to seem) requires the noun or adjective describing the subject to be in the instrumental case. Because контракт is a masculine noun, the adjective takes the masculine instrumental ending -ым.
Are выгодным and выгода from the same root?
Exactly! Выгода is the noun meaning "benefit" or "profit", and выгодный is the related adjective meaning "profitable" or "advantageous". Noticing these shared roots will help you rapidly expand your vocabulary.
Why do we use намного instead of очень before меньше?
Меньше is a comparative adjective (smaller/less). In Russian, to say "much" before a comparative, you have to use намного (or гораздо). You cannot use очень (very) or много (a lot) directly with comparatives.
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