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У него всегда одно и то же поразительное выражение лица.

У него всегда одно и то же поразительное выражение лица.
He always has the exact same striking facial expression.
From Lesson 296:Exact identity (тот же самый, один и тот же)·Russian

Questions & Answers about У него всегда одно и то же поразительное выражение лица.

Why is it одно и то же instead of тот же самый in this sentence?
Both translate to the exact same, but одно и то же is often used to emphasize that something is literally one single thing persisting over time (one continuous expression he always wears), rather than two distinct things that just happen to be identical.
Why are the neuter forms одно and то used here?
They must agree in gender and case with the noun they describe, which is выражение (expression). Since выражение is a neuter noun in the nominative case (acting as the subject in this У него... possession structure), we use the neuter nominative pronouns одно and то. The particle же never changes.
Why does Russian use the genitive noun лица instead of an adjective for facial?
While English uses the adjective facial, Russian expresses this concept with a noun phrase: выражение лица, literally meaning expression of the face. Лица is the genitive singular of лицо (face). This is the standard, fixed phrasing you will always use for facial expression.
What verb is the adjective поразительное related to?
It comes from the perfective verb поразить, which means to strike or to astound. Because of this root, поразительное выражение translates very literally to a striking expression.

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