Breakdown of По мнению основателя, новая методика очень сложная.
новый
new
очень
very
сложный
difficult, complex
мнение
opinion
Questions & Answers about По мнению основателя, новая методика очень сложная.
How is the phrase "По мнению" constructed grammatically?
The preposition по takes the dative case, turning мнение (opinion) into мнению. The person whose opinion it is follows in the genitive case, which is why основатель (founder) becomes основателя. This is the standard formula for attributing a view to a specific person or group.
Is the comma after "основателя" mandatory?
Yes. In Russian, introductory constructions that indicate the source of a statement or opinion (like По мнению... or По словам...) must always be set off by commas.
Could I use "метод" instead of "методика" here?
You could, but they have slightly different nuances. A метод is a single, specific method or technique. A методика usually refers to a broader methodology, a set of practices, or an entire system of working, which fits better in a corporate or educational context.
Since "сложная" is the predicate of the sentence, could we use the short adjective "сложна"?
Yes, you could use the short form сложна, which would sound a bit more formal or analytical. However, the long form сложная is very common in both speech and text here, emphasizing that being difficult is a permanent, inherent characteristic of this methodology.