Breakdown of Машина времени едва ли будет построена — это просто вымысел.
это
this / it is
время
time
быть
to be
просто
simply, just
построить
to build (perfective)
машина
machine
едва ли
scarcely / highly unlikely
вымысел
fiction / fabrication
Questions & Answers about Машина времени едва ли будет построена — это просто вымысел.
How does the particle едва ли work here to mean 'highly unlikely'?
The particle едва ли is used to express strong doubt, translating closely to 'hardly' or 'it is highly unlikely that.' Unlike English phrases that often require conditional verbs, едва ли simply takes a standard indicative verb. Here, it is followed directly by the future tense будет построена.
Could I use вряд ли instead of едва ли in this sentence?
Yes, they are practically interchangeable synonyms used to express extreme unlikelihood. вряд ли is slightly more common in everyday speech, while едва ли can sound just a bit more literary or formal, which fits nicely with a statement about science fiction concepts like a машина времени.
Why is the verb phrase будет построена used here?
This is the future passive voice. построена is a short-form passive participle meaning 'built' (ending in -а to match the feminine noun машина). Combined with the future of 'to be' (будет), it literally means 'will be built.' You could also rephrase this actively using the impersonal 'they' construction: едва ли построят (it is highly unlikely they will build).
Why does Russian use времени instead of an adjective for 'time' in Машина времени?
In Russian, compound noun concepts are often formed by putting the second noun in the genitive case rather than using an adjective. времени is the genitive form of the irregular neuter noun время (time). So, машина времени literally translates to 'machine of time.'
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