Breakdown of Мой брат должен экономить больше, чем я.
брат
brother
я
I
мой
my (мой, моя, моё) / mine
должен
must, have to (должен, должна, должны)
чем
than / the (in comparisons)
больше
more (quantity or size) / no longer, anymore
экономить
to save (money, resources)
Questions & Answers about Мой брат должен экономить больше, чем я.
Since the current lesson is about 'приходится', why does this sentence use 'должен' instead?
Должен expresses a general obligation or duty ("must" or "has to"). The verb приходится, which you are learning now, means someone is forced to do something due to external circumstances. If the sentence were Моему брату приходится экономить, it would specifically mean that outside factors (like a pay cut or rising rent) are forcing him to save. Должен just states the obligation neutrally.
Could I say 'больше меня' instead of 'больше, чем я'?
Yes, absolutely! In Russian, you can form comparisons either by using чем (than) followed by the Nominative case (чем я), or by dropping чем and putting the second item in the Genitive case (меня). Both больше, чем я and больше меня are perfectly natural here.
Why use the imperfective verb 'экономить' instead of the perfective 'сэкономить'?
The sentence describes a general habit or an ongoing lifestyle choice (saving money over time). The imperfective экономить is used for continuous or repeated actions, whereas the perfective сэкономить would refer to successfully saving a specific amount of money on a one-time occasion.
Why is there a comma before 'чем'?
Russian punctuation rules are much stricter than English ones regarding conjunctions. You must almost always place a comma before the conjunction чем when it introduces a comparison.
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