Breakdown of Он пишет не регулярно, а от случая к случаю.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
а
and (contrastive)
писать
to write
регулярно
regularly
от случая к случаю
from time to time, occasionally
Questions & Answers about Он пишет не регулярно, а от случая к случаю.
Why is не written as a separate word from регулярно here?
In Russian, when you have an explicit contrast using а (meaning 'not X, but Y'), the не is always written separately. If there were no contrast, you could write нерегулярно as a single word meaning 'irregularly' (e.g., Он пишет нерегулярно).
Why does this sentence use а for 'but' instead of но?
We use а because this is a direct, mutually exclusive contrast: 'not this, but that'. The word но is used to introduce a concession or an unexpected addition, like 'He writes regularly, but badly' (Он пишет регулярно, но плохо).
What is the literal translation of от случая к случаю, and what cases are used?
It literally means 'from case to case' or 'from instance to instance.' The preposition от (from) requires the genitive case (случая), and the preposition к (to/towards) requires the dative case (случаю). It is a fixed idiom for 'occasionally.'
This lesson covers words like вечерами (in the evenings) to show repeated actions. Can we use the instrumental case to say 'occasionally' here?
No, because the bare instrumental plural (like вечерами or годами) emphasizes a regular habit or an extended, continuous stretch of time. Because this sentence specifically describes an irregular, random action, we have to use an adverbial phrase like от случая к случаю or the adverb иногда (sometimes) instead.
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