Question 1

How does общий translate to "shared" here? Does it always mean that?

Accepted Answer

Общий often translates to "common" or "general". In the context of relationships or people doing things together, it means "shared" or "mutual"—like having a shared plan or a common friend. This makes it a great word to use in situations involving reciprocal actions, such as working with друг другом (each other).

Question 2

Why is it идеально and not идеальный?

Accepted Answer

Идеально is an adverb meaning "perfectly", and it describes how the action happens, modifying the verb работает (works). If you wanted to describe the plan itself as perfect, you would use the masculine adjective идеальный to match the noun план, as in Это идеальный план (This is a perfect plan).

Question 3

Could we put идеально at the end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could absolutely say Этот общий план работает идеально. Russian word order is flexible. Placing идеально right before the verb emphasizes the action of "working perfectly" as a single fluid idea, while putting it at the end places the conversational spotlight slightly more on the word "perfectly" itself.

Question 4

As a quick refresher, why is Этот used here instead of Это?

Accepted Answer

Этот (this) is a demonstrative adjective that must agree in gender and case with the noun it points to, which is the masculine subject план. You use the neuter Это when establishing what a thing is without directly attaching it as a modifier to a noun, like when saying "This is a plan" (Это план).

Этот общий план идеально работает.

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