Breakdown of Чистота в комнатах приемлемая, но интерьер старый.
старый
old
комната
room
в
in / to (direction)
но
but
Questions & Answers about Чистота в комнатах приемлемая, но интерьер старый.
How would we rewrite this sentence using the target construction что касается ... , то ... to emphasize the contrast?
You can use it to introduce the topic being evaluated. For example: Что касается чистоты в комнатах, то она приемлемая, но интерьер старый. Notice that чистота changes to the genitive case (чистоты) after касается, and we must add the pronoun она (it) to serve as the subject for the adjective приемлемая.
Both приемлемая and старый are long-form adjectives used as predicates. Could we use short forms here?
Yes, you could say Чистота в комнатах приемлема, но интерьер стар. However, at a B2 level, it is helpful to recognize that short forms sound more formal, bookish, or definitive. In everyday spoken Russian or standard internet reviews, the long forms used in this sentence are perfectly natural and often preferred.
Could we use the conjunction а instead of но in this sentence?
Yes, а works perfectly here too. While но highlights a direct contrast or a slight disappointment (the cleanliness is fine, but unfortunately the interior is old), using а would simply place the two facts side-by-side as a comparison (the cleanliness is fine, whereas the interior is old).
The word приемлемая means 'acceptable'. What is its root, and how does that help us understand its usage?