Breakdown of Пусть парфюмер бережёт своё важнейшее чувство — обоняние.
важный
important
свой
one's own
беречь
to protect, to take care of
чувство
feeling
пусть
let
парфюмер
perfumer
обоняние
sense of smell
Questions & Answers about Пусть парфюмер бережёт своё важнейшее чувство — обоняние.
How is the superlative adjective важнейшее formed here?
It is the morphological superlative of важный (important). We drop the -ый and add the suffix -ейш- plus the standard adjective ending. Since it modifies the neuter noun чувство in the accusative case, we add the neuter ending -ее to get важнейшее.
Why does the verb бережёт have a ж in it if the infinitive is беречь?
Verbs ending in -чь undergo a consonant mutation in the present tense. For беречь (to protect), the stem ends in -г- (as seen in the 'I' form берегу and 'they' form берегут). This -г- mutates to -ж- for all other forms, giving us бережёт.
How does пусть work in this sentence?
Пусть is a particle used with a third-person verb to create an imperative (a command or strong wish) for someone else. Combined with бережёт, it translates to "Let the perfumer protect" or "May the perfumer protect."
Why must we use своё instead of его?
The reflexive possessive pronoun свой (here in the neuter form своё) always refers back to the grammatical subject. Since the perfumer is the subject protecting his own sense of smell, своё is required. Using его would mean he is protecting some other man's sense of smell.
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