Question 1

Why is there a dash before это in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

When the subject of a sentence is an infinitive (взвесить) and the predicate is an adverb or a noun, Russian often uses a dash to link them, functioning like the verb 'is' in English. The word это is frequently added right after the dash to emphasize the connection: 'To weigh all the disadvantages — this is quite reasonable.'

Question 2

Why use the perfective infinitive взвесить instead of the imperfective взвешивать here?

Accepted Answer

We use the perfective взвесить because the sentence focuses on the result of a single, completed action. You want to successfully finish evaluating the disadvantages before making a decision. If we used взвешивать, it would imply the continuous or repeated process of weighing them, which sounds less like practical advice and more like a general philosophical statement.

Question 3

This lesson focuses on words like стоит and следует, but they aren't in this sentence. How does this structure express a similar idea?

Accepted Answer

Using an infinitive followed by это and an evaluation word (like разумно, важно, or хорошо) is another very common way to give impersonal advice or express value. While стоит взвесить means 'it is worth weighing,' взвесить — это разумно gives the exact same type of recommendation by stating that the action itself is a reasonable thing to do.

Question 4

Does взвесить literally mean 'to weigh' physically, or is it only used metaphorically like this?

Accepted Answer

It is used for both! You can physically weigh apples (взвесить яблоки) or metaphorically weigh your options just like in English. A very common B2-level phrase using this metaphorical meaning is взвесить все за и против (to weigh all the pros and cons).

Взвесить все недостатки — это довольно разумно.

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