Breakdown of Я не верю, чтобы он говорил такие глупости, это чересчур странно.
это
this / it is
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
я
I
говорить
to speak, to talk
верить
to believe
такой
such / so / what ... is
странный
strange
чтобы
in order to
глупость
foolishness
чересчур
overly
Questions & Answers about Я не верю, чтобы он говорил такие глупости, это чересчур странно.
Why does the sentence use чтобы instead of что here?
After expressions of strong doubt or denial, like не верю (I don't believe) or сомневаюсь (I doubt), Russian often uses чтобы + past tense instead of что. It emphasizes that you consider the event highly unlikely or completely hypothetical. If you used что, it would sound more like a simple statement of fact that you happen to not believe.
Why use the imperfective говорил rather than the perfective сказал?
Both are grammatically possible, but говорил (was saying) emphasizes the general nature of what he was supposedly doing or the ongoing process. Using сказал would focus on a specific, single instance of him saying those things. With глупости, the imperfective is very natural to describe someone talking nonsense.
Why is глупости in the plural here, when the English translation says 'nonsense' (singular)?
In Russian, the singular глупость usually means 'stupidity' as an abstract trait or refers to one specific foolish act. When referring to 'nonsense' or 'silly things' that someone says, it is standard to use the plural глупости.
What is the difference between чересчур and слишком?
Both mean 'too' or 'excessively'. Слишком is the standard, everyday word. Чересчур is a slightly more expressive conversational alternative, emphasizing that something goes way beyond the acceptable limit. You can use them interchangeably in most contexts, but чересчур adds a bit more emotion.
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