Breakdown of Пусть этот год принесёт радость и счастье.
и
and
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
год
year
принести
to bring (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Пусть этот год принесёт радость и счастье.
Why does пусть mean "May" here instead of "Let"?
The particle пусть followed by a third-person verb creates a third-person imperative. While it often means "let him" or "let it," when it is used for blessings or good wishes like this one, it translates much better to "May..." in English.
Why is the verb принесёт just a normal future tense form instead of a special imperative form?
That is exactly how third-person imperatives are built in Russian. Instead of a unique command form like you use for "you" (such as принеси), you use пусть plus the regular present or future tense verb. Since we want a completed result for the upcoming year, we use the perfective future tense here.
Why do the direct objects радость and счастье look like they are in the nominative case?
They are actually in the accusative case because they are what the year will bring. However, радость is an inanimate feminine noun ending in a soft sign, and счастье is an inanimate neuter noun. For both of these categories, the accusative form is completely identical to the nominative form.
What is the difference between принесёт and несёт, and why use this one?
Несёт is from the imperfective verb нести (to carry). By adding the prefix при-, we get the perfective verb принести (to bring, meaning to arrive while carrying something). We use the perfective here because we are wishing for a successful result: the actual arrival of joy and happiness.