Question 1

What is the exact role of всё же in this sentence, and could we use всё-таки instead?

Accepted Answer

Всё же adds the meaning of 'still', 'nevertheless', or 'all the same', emphasizing that the action happened despite the preceding information (the incredible risk). Yes, you could absolutely use всё-таки here instead; they are virtually interchangeable in this context, though всё же can sometimes sound slightly softer or more formal.

Question 2

Why does the sentence begin with Это был, pairing a neuter pronoun with a masculine verb?

Accepted Answer

Here, это is used as a dummy pronoun, much like 'it' or 'this' in English. When это introduces a noun, the past tense verb (был, была, было, были) must agree in gender and number with that following noun, not with это. Since риск is masculine, the verb must be был.

Question 3

Why do we use the perfective verb вложить here instead of its imperfective pair вкладывать?

Accepted Answer

The perfective вложить focuses on the completed, one-time result of the action (the decision to put the money in). If we used the imperfective вкладывать, it would imply a habitual action or ongoing process, such as deciding to regularly invest money in the startup over time.

Question 4

Why is в стартап in the accusative case here instead of the prepositional case?

Accepted Answer

You use в plus the accusative case here because the verb вложить (to invest or put into) implies a transfer or directed action. You are putting money into the startup as a destination. If you were just describing where the money already sits, you would use the prepositional case (деньги в стартапе).

Это был невероятный риск, но вы всё же решили вложить деньги в стартап?

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