Breakdown of Пусть они ищут новые средства. Нам не хватает финансирования.
не
not
мы
we
они
they
новый
new
искать
to look for
пусть
let
хватать
to suffice / to be enough
средство
the means / the fund
финансирование
the funding / the financing
Questions & Answers about Пусть они ищут новые средства. Нам не хватает финансирования.
Why are we using the Dative нам and the Genitive финансирования in the second sentence?
This is the classic structure for expressing sufficiency or lack in Russian. The verb хватать (imperfective) or хватить (perfective) is used impersonally. The person who lacks something is the 'experiencer' in the Dative case (нам), and the thing that is lacking is in the Genitive case (финансирования).
Is хватает always used in the third-person singular like this?
Yes, when meaning 'to suffice' or 'to be enough/lacking', it is an impersonal verb. You will only see it in the 'it' form: хватает (present), хватало (past neuter), or хватит (future). There is no 'I lack' or 'they lack' conjugation; the literal translation is closer to 'to us it lacks of funding.'
How does Пусть work here to mean 'Let them'?
The particle пусть followed by a subject and a present or future tense verb acts as a third-person imperative. It is the standard way to say 'let him, her, or them do something' without using the verb 'to allow' (разрешать). Here, пусть они ищут simply means 'let them search' or 'have them search.'
What is the difference between средства and финансирование, since both relate to money here?
Средства is a broad term meaning 'means', 'resources', or 'funds'. It can refer to physical tools, methods, or financial assets. Финансирование is much more specific and translates directly to 'funding' or 'financing'. The speaker uses both to avoid repetition.
Why does ищут have a щ if the dictionary form is искать?
The verb искать (to look for or to search) undergoes a consonant mutation where ск changes to щ in all forms of its present tense conjugation. Because of this, you get я ищу, он ищет, and они ищут.
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