Breakdown of После того как врач проверил горло, он сказал, что это вирус, значит, антибиотик не нужен.
это
this / it is
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
врач
doctor
сказать
to tell, to say
что
that (conjunction)
нужен
needed (нужен, нужна, нужны)
тот
that
после
after
проверить
to check (perfective)
горло
throat
как
as (in comparisons)
значит
so (therefore / it means)
вирус
virus
антибиотик
antibiotic
Questions & Answers about После того как врач проверил горло, он сказал, что это вирус, значит, антибиотик не нужен.
Why is значит used here, and why does it have commas around it?
Значит acts here as a discourse marker of conclusion, translating to "which means" or "therefore". It shows a logical deduction (it is a virus, therefore antibiotics will not work). When used as an introductory word to draw a conclusion, it must be separated by commas. While you could use поэтому (so / for this reason), значит specifically emphasizes the logical deduction.
Why do we need the long phrase После того как instead of just using После for "After"?
После is a preposition, so it must be followed directly by a noun or pronoun (for example, после осмотра - after the exam). Because we are introducing a full clause with its own subject and verb (врач проверил), we have to use the compound conjunction после того как.
Why is the present tense used in что это вирус if the doctor said it in the past?
In Russian reported speech, you must keep the exact tense the speaker originally used. The doctor literally said, "This is a virus" (Это вирус). Even though the main verb сказал is in the past tense, the reported clause stays in the present tense. English usually shifts this to the past ("he said it was a virus"), but Russian does not.
Why is нужен used in its short form here?
Нужен (needed/necessary) is a short-form adjective. In Russian, short forms are typically used when the adjective serves as the main predicate of the sentence (acting like the verb). Since there is no verb in the clause антибиотик не нужен, the short form is required to state the current condition that it is not needed.
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