Breakdown of Пусть этот робот неуклюжий, но всё же он безотказный.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
но
but
пусть
let
робот
robot
всё же
still
неуклюжий
clumsy
безотказный
reliable (fail-safe, trouble-free)
Questions & Answers about Пусть этот робот неуклюжий, но всё же он безотказный.
I know пусть usually means 'let' (like 'let him do it'). How does it mean 'granted that' here?
While пусть is often used for commands, it is also used to introduce concessive clauses, meaning 'even if', 'granted that', or 'although'. It sets up a fact that you acknowledge but are about to contrast with a stronger point. When used this way, it usually pairs with words like но (but) or всё же (still) in the following clause.
Why do we need both но and всё же in the second half of the sentence?
You could use just но (but) or just всё же (still). Using both together as но всё же emphasizes the contrast even more, translating perfectly to 'but still' or 'but nevertheless'. It reinforces that despite the robot's clumsiness, its reliability is the more important trait.
The word безотказный means 'reliable', but doesn't the root отказ mean 'refusal'? How does that work?
That is a great catch! The noun отказ can mean a refusal, but it also means a failure or breakdown of equipment. Adding the prefix без- (without) and the adjective suffix -ный creates a word literally meaning 'without failure'. So, for machines or people, безотказный describes someone or something that never quits, breaks down, or refuses to work.
Could we use short-form adjectives (неуклюж, безотказен) in this sentence instead of the long forms?
Yes, you absolutely could. Short-form adjectives are often used to sound a bit more formal, bookish, or to emphasize a stark fact. The long forms used here (неуклюжий, безотказный) are perfectly normal and make the sentence sound like a natural, everyday spoken observation about the robot's permanent characteristics.
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