Breakdown of У хорошего парфюмера тончайшее обоняние.
хороший
good
у
at, by
парфюмер
perfumer
тонкий
subtle, keen
обоняние
sense of smell
Questions & Answers about У хорошего парфюмера тончайшее обоняние.
How is тончайшее formed from тонкий (thin/delicate)?
The root of тонкий ends in -к. To form the morphological superlative, this -к mutates to a -ч-. Because of Russian spelling rules, roots ending in a husher like -ч- must take the suffix -айш- instead of the standard -ейш-. Finally, the neuter ending -ее is added to match the noun обоняние.
Why didn't the speaker just use самое тонкое (the most delicate)?
While самое тонкое is the standard way to express a direct comparison, the morphological suffix -айш- in modern Russian frequently acts as an elative. This means it does not strictly compare the perfumer to others, but rather emphasizes an absolute, extreme degree: an extremely delicate sense of smell.
I know тонкий primarily means thin. Is it common to use it for senses like smell?
Yes, тонкий is heavily used beyond just physical thickness. It translates to delicate, subtle, or refined when talking about senses, tastes, humor, or art. Тонкое обоняние is the natural collocation for a highly sensitive sense of smell.
Why is the adjective хорошего in the genitive case here?
It modifies парфюмера, which must be in the genitive case because it follows the preposition у. Even at B2, it is a good refresher that the у [Genitive] + [Nominative] structure is the most natural way to express possession in Russian, rather than using a direct translation of the verb to have.
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