Question 1

Why use the noun сотню instead of the number сто?

Accepted Answer

While сто is a standard numeral meaning "one hundred," сотня is a feminine noun meaning "a group of a hundred." Native speakers often use numerical nouns like сотня, десяток (a group of ten), or дюжина (a dozen) to talk about a batch or collective group of items, which often implies an approximate amount rather than a strict count.

Question 2

Why is сотню in the accusative case while the computers are in the genitive?

Accepted Answer

Because сотня is grammatically a regular noun, not a numeral. It acts as the direct object of the verb списать (to write off), so it takes the accusative case (сотню). The things making up that group then follow in the genitive plural (старых компьютеров), exactly like saying "a box of old computers" (коробка старых компьютеров).

Question 3

Does using сотню mean the director wrote off exactly 100 computers?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. While it can mean exactly one hundred, numerical nouns like сотня are very frequently used for approximation in Russian. In this context, it translates closer to "about a hundred" or "a whole batch of a hundred." The director is likely getting rid of a large approximate quantity of old stock.

Question 4

I learned that списать means "to cheat" or "to copy." How does it mean "to write off" here?

Accepted Answer

You are right that in a school context, списать means to copy someone else's test or homework. However, in business, accounting, and IT contexts, it means "to write off," "to decommission," or "to scrap" equipment. The prefix с- combined with писать (to write) gives the literal idea of "writing something off" the official inventory books.

Директор решил списать сотню старых компьютеров.

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