Breakdown of С одной стороны, система автоматически включает свет, но с другой стороны, такие гаджеты очень дорогие.
очень
very
дорогой
expensive
один
one
свет
light
но
but
включать
to turn on (imperfective)
такой
such / so / what ... is
другой
other
система
system
сторона
side
с
off / down from (a surface)
автоматически
automatically
гаджет
the gadget
Questions & Answers about С одной стороны, система автоматически включает свет, но с другой стороны, такие гаджеты очень дорогие.
Do you always need to put но (but) before с другой стороны?
It is extremely common to use но (but) or а (and/but) to bridge the two halves of this contrast, much like 'but on the other hand' in English. However, the conjunction isn't strictly mandatory. You could just say ..., с другой стороны, ... and the contrast remains clear.
Why are there so many commas around these phrases?
In Russian, с одной стороны and с другой стороны function as introductory words (parenthetical expressions). By rule, they must be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. So, you need a comma after the first one, a comma before но to separate the two main clauses, and another comma right after с другой стороны.
Why do we use the singular word свет instead of a plural form for 'the lights'?
In Russian, свет is used as an uncountable noun to mean both the physical phenomenon of 'light' and the everyday concept of room illumination ('the lights'). When you want to say 'turn on the lights' or 'turn off the lights', you always use the singular включить/выключить свет.
Why does the adjective дорогие (expensive) end in -ие instead of the standard plural ending -ые?
This is a quick reminder of the 7-letter spelling rule. You can never write the letter ы after the letters г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, or щ. Because the stem of the word for expensive ends in г (дорог-), the plural ending must shift from -ые to -ие.
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