Breakdown of Вы не знаете, почему отправление автобуса без двадцати пяти семь, а объявления нет?
не
not
а
and (contrastive)
вы
you (plural)
знать
to know
почему
why
автобус
bus
пять
five
семь
seven
нет
there is no / is not present
без
without
двадцать
twenty
объявление
announcement
отправление
departure (of transport)
Questions & Answers about Вы не знаете, почему отправление автобуса без двадцати пяти семь, а объявления нет?
Why is it двадцати пяти instead of двадцать пять?
The preposition без (without) requires the Genitive case. When declining a compound number like 25, both parts must change. So, двадцать becomes двадцати, and пять becomes пяти. Together, they mean "minus twenty-five [minutes]".
Why is семь in the Nominative case here? Doesn't без affect the whole time expression?
No, без only affects the minutes that follow it immediately. The structure is literally "[the hour of] seven, without twenty-five [minutes]". The hour you are approaching always stays in the Nominative case in this time-telling construction.
Why does the Russian sentence start with Вы не знаете (You do not know) if the English translation is "Do you know"?
In Russian, starting a question with a negative like Вы не знаете or Вы не подскажете is a common, polite way to ask for information. It softens the request, very much like "Do you happen to know..." or "Could you tell me..." in English.
Why is the word for announcement (объявление) in the form объявления at the end?
It is in the Genitive case because of the word нет (there is no). In Russian, expressing the absence or non-existence of something always requires the Genitive case for the thing that is missing.
Why use а instead of но for "but" in а объявления нет?
а is used here because it contrasts two simultaneous states of affairs: the schedule says one thing, while the reality (no announcement) shows another. It acts as a bridge comparing two contrasting facts, whereas но is typically used for a direct contradiction or an unexpected obstacle.
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