Breakdown of Гоночная машина едет хуже, чем обычная, если её не настроить.
не
not
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
машина
car
ехать
to go (by vehicle)
чем
than / the (in comparisons)
если
if
хуже
worse
обычный
usual
гоночный
racing
настроить
to tune (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Гоночная машина едет хуже, чем обычная, если её не настроить.
How could we rewrite the first part of this sentence using the contrast preposition в отличие от?
You could say В отличие от обычной машины, гоночная едет хуже... (Unlike an ordinary car, a racing one drives worse...). Remember that в отличие от requires the Genitive case, which is why обычная машина becomes обычной машины.
Why is the infinitive настроить used in the second clause instead of a conjugated verb?
In Russian, you can use an infinitive with если to express a general, impersonal condition. Если её не настроить means "if one doesn't tune it" or "if it isn't tuned." It applies as a universal rule rather than pointing to a specific mechanic doing the work.
Could we express the conditional part of this sentence using в зависимости от (depending on)?
Yes! You could replace the если clause with a noun phrase: ...в зависимости от настройки (depending on the tuning). This is a great way to sound slightly more formal or concise. Just remember that в зависимости от must be followed by the Genitive case.
Why does the adjective обычная stand completely alone here?
It is acting as a placeholder for обычная машина (an ordinary car). Since машина was just mentioned, Russian naturally drops the noun in the second half of the comparison to avoid repetition. The adjective stays in the Nominative case to match the subject it is being compared against.
Learn Гоночная машина едет хуже, чем обычная, если её не настроить and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free