Breakdown of Наибольший риск — это допустить дефект в производстве.
это
this / it is
в
in / to (direction)
производство
the production (n)
риск
the risk
наибольший
absolute greatest / maximum (adjective)
допустить
to allow (let happen) / to tolerate
дефект
defect / flaw
Questions & Answers about Наибольший риск — это допустить дефект в производстве.
How is наибольший formed here? Is it just the prefix наи- added to the standard adjective?
Not quite. The prefix наи- is added to the comparative form of the adjective, which in this case is больший (greater), rather than the basic form большой (big). This combination creates the absolute superlative, meaning 'the absolute greatest'.
Does наибольший mean the same thing as самый большой?
Yes, the meaning is essentially identical. However, absolute superlatives formed with наи- sound more formal, literary, or professional. In everyday spoken Russian, you would be much more likely to hear самый большой риск.
Why do we need the dash and the word это before the verb?
In Russian, when you link a noun subject (риск) to an infinitive verb (допустить) to define it, you typically use a dash followed by это to act as the verb 'to be' (is). It translates literally as 'The greatest risk — this is to allow...'
Why is допустить used here for 'to allow' instead of разрешить?
Разрешить means 'to allow' in the sense of giving permission. Допустить means to let something happen or to tolerate it. It is the standard verb used when talking about allowing negative things to occur, like defects, violations, or mistakes (for example, допустить ошибку means 'to make a mistake').
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