Breakdown of Что касается чистоты, то комната очень чистая.
что
what
комната
room
очень
very
чистый
clean
то
then (in that case)
касаться
to concern (impf)
чистота
cleanliness
Questions & Answers about Что касается чистоты, то комната очень чистая.
Why is чистоты in the Genitive case here?
The verb касаться (to touch / to concern) always requires its object to be in the Genitive case. Because the fixed phrase что касается literally means "what touches", the topic introduced must always take the Genitive.
Why do we need the word то after the comma? Can I just leave it out?
No, you cannot leave it out. The construction Что касается ..., то ... is a mandatory paired structure in Russian. When you introduce a new topic in the first clause, то (which normally means "then") acts as a required bridge to connect it to the main statement.
Are чистоты and чистая related words?
Could I use the short-form adjective чиста instead of the long-form чистая at the end of the sentence?
Grammatically, yes, you could say комната очень чиста. However, short-form adjectives often sound quite formal, literary, or dramatic. For an everyday statement about a room being clean, the long-form чистая is much more natural and common.
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