Breakdown of Это, несомненно, огромный шаг для человечества.
это
this / it is
для
for
шаг
step
огромный
huge
несомненно
undoubtedly
человечество
humanity
Questions & Answers about Это, несомненно, огромный шаг для человечества.
Why is несомненно surrounded by commas here?
несомненно is a parenthetical word expressing absolute certainty. Because parenthetical words stand outside the grammatical structure of the sentence, Russian punctuation rules require them to be set off by commas, no matter where they appear.
Can I place несомненно anywhere else in this sentence?
Yes. Because it acts as an independent parenthetical tag, its placement is quite flexible. You could say Несомненно, это огромный шаг or Это огромный шаг для человечества, несомненно. The meaning stays exactly the same, though putting it early in the sentence emphasizes your certainty right away.
What exactly is the root of the word несомненно?
It is built from the noun сомнение (doubt). By adding the prefix не- (not) and the adverbial ending, it translates literally to without a doubt or indubitably.
Why do we use для человечества instead of just using the dative case человечеству?
When talking about doing something for the benefit, use, or historical impact of a group, Russian uses для plus the genitive case (человечества). Using the bare dative case here would sound like a physical step taken toward humanity, rather than an achievement done on its behalf.
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