Question 1

Why does this sentence use а for the first 'but' and но for the second?

Accepted Answer

The construction не то чтобы [A], а [B] is corrective. You are rejecting A (a complete flop) and replacing it with B (a series). We always use а for this kind of 'not this, instead that' replacement. The second 'but' uses но because it simply contrasts two coexisting qualities of the series (динамичный and поверхностный) without canceling either out.

Question 2

I was taught to always put a comma before чтобы. Why is there no comma in не то чтобы?

Accepted Answer

You are right that чтобы usually introduces a subordinate clause and needs a comma. However, не то чтобы is a fixed mitigating particle meaning 'not exactly'. Because it functions as a single grammatical unit rather than linking two verbs, it never takes an internal comma.

Question 3

Is провал used only for entertainment flops, or is it a more general word?

Accepted Answer

It is a general word for a complete failure, collapse, or fiasco, though it is extremely common for movies, performances, or exams. It comes from the verb провалиться, which literally means 'to fall through' (like falling through a rotten floorboard), so a провал is a plan that completely caved in.

Question 4

Why are both провал and сериал in the nominative case here?

Accepted Answer

The basic skeleton of this sentence is an 'A is B' statement: Это ... сериал (This is a ... series). In Russian, both the subject and the noun it is equated to take the nominative case. The phrase полный провал is also in the nominative because it represents the alternative noun the subject is being compared against.

Это не то чтобы полный провал, а просто динамичный, но поверхностный сериал.

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