Breakdown of С одной стороны, строгий контроль стоит денег, с другой стороны, он приносит наибольшую выгоду.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
деньги
money
один
one
с
with (also со)
приносить
to bring
стоить
to cost
строгий
strict
другой
other
сторона
side
выгода
benefit
контроль
control / inspection
наибольший
absolute greatest / maximum (adjective)
Questions & Answers about С одной стороны, строгий контроль стоит денег, с другой стороны, он приносит наибольшую выгоду.
How does the word наибольшую work here, and what does the prefix наи- add?
Наибольшую means "the greatest" or "maximum." The prefix наи- is added to comparative or superlative adjectives (like больший, meaning "bigger/biggest") to create an absolute superlative, emphasizing the highest possible degree of something. It declines just like a regular adjective, which is why it is in the accusative feminine form here to match выгоду.
Why is денег in the genitive case after стоит? Doesn't the verb "to cost" usually take the accusative?
Yes, стоить usually takes the accusative for specific prices (e.g., стоит одну тысячу). However, when expressing a general cost involving abstract concepts or plural nouns like money, effort, or nerves, it takes the genitive case. So, стоит денег is a set phrase meaning "costs money" or "is expensive."
Is с одной стороны ... с другой стороны the standard way to say "on the one hand ... on the other hand"?
Yes! This is a very common and exact equivalent. Notice that Russian uses the word сторона (side) in the genitive case here (стороны) after the preposition с. It is a perfect linking phrase to use at the B2 level when structuring an argument or comparing contrasting ideas.
I notice большую inside наибольшую. Is the stress the same as in the regular word for "big" (большую)?
No, the stress shifts. The regular adjective for "big" is большой, with the stress on the ending, so its accusative feminine is большу́ю. But the comparative/superlative base used here is бо́льший, with the stress on the root. Therefore, наибольшую is stressed on the о: наибо́льшую.
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