Breakdown of Пусть принтер громоздкий, но он безотказный и быстрый.
и
and
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
принтер
printer
но
but
Questions & Answers about Пусть принтер громоздкий, но он безотказный и быстрый.
How does пусть work here? I have usually seen it used to mean 'let', like in пусть говорят.
You are right that пусть often means 'let' as a third-person imperative. However, when paired with но or всё же, it creates a concessive clause. It translates closer to 'granted that', 'even if', or 'although'. It acknowledges a drawback like being bulky before introducing the positive counterpoints.
Can I just use хотя instead of пусть in this sentence?
Yes, хотя принтер громоздкий means essentially the same thing. Using пусть just adds a slightly more conversational tone, expressing a concession similar to saying 'Okay, sure, it is bulky, but...' in English.
What is the literal breakdown of the word безотказный?
It breaks down into the prefix без- meaning 'without', the root отказ meaning 'refusal' or 'failure', and the adjective suffix -ный. Literally, it describes a machine that works 'without refusal', making it the perfect word for 'reliable' or 'trouble-free'.
There are no verbs in this sentence. How would the grammar change if I wanted to say this in the past tense?