Breakdown of Наша команда не только хорошо играет, но и часто одерживает победы.
наш
our (наш, наша, наше)
часто
often
играть
to play
хорошо
well
команда
team
победа
victory
не только ..., но и
not only ... but also
одерживать
to achieve (a victory, imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Наша команда не только хорошо играет, но и часто одерживает победы.
Why use the phrase одерживает победы instead of a single verb like побеждает?
Одерживать победу (to achieve a victory) is a formal analytical predicate. In formal writing, journalism, or sports commentary, Russian often replaces simple verbs like побеждать with a combination of a verb and a noun. It sounds more official, adds weight to the statement, and emphasizes the noun (the victories) rather than just the action.
What does the verb одерживать actually mean, and can I use it with any noun to mean 'achieve'?
No, its usage is highly restricted. While it historically meant 'to hold back' or 'to overcome', in modern Russian it acts as a 'light verb' used almost exclusively in fixed collocations. You will see it paired with победа (victory) or in the idiom одерживать верх (to gain the upper hand). To say 'achieve a goal' or 'achieve success', you must use a different verb, such as достигать.
Are there any strict word order rules for the не только ..., но и ... structure used here?
Yes, the sentence elements immediately following не только and но и must be grammatically parallel. Here, both halves introduce an action the team does: не только [хорошо играет], но и [часто одерживает победы]. If you mistakenly placed не только before наша команда, the sentence would feel broken because the second half doesn't introduce another subject.
Why is победы in the plural here instead of the singular победу?
Because of the word часто (often), which indicates repeated, separate actions. While the base dictionary expression is одерживать победу (singular), you can pluralize the noun to одерживать победы when referring to multiple distinct wins over time across different games.
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