Breakdown of Этот нож совсем тупой.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
нож
knife
совсем
completely, quite
тупой
dull / blunt
Questions & Answers about Этот нож совсем тупой.
Does тупой only mean "blunt" when talking about knives?
No. Just like the English word "dull," тупой can mean "blunt" for physical objects (like a knife or a pencil) and "stupid" or "slow-witted" when describing a person's intelligence.
Why use совсем here instead of очень?
Совсем means "completely" or "entirely," whereas очень means "very." Saying a knife is совсем тупой emphasizes that it has totally lost its edge and is entirely useless for cutting, rather than just needing a quick sharpening.
What is the opposite of тупой in this context?
The word for a "sharp" knife is острый (острый нож). Interestingly, just like тупой, острый has multiple meanings: it can also describe a person's mind (sharp-witted) as well as the taste of food (spicy).
Since this lesson covers dual plurals like зубы (human teeth) vs. зубья (teeth of a tool), does нож have a special plural?
No, нож is straightforward and only has one plural form: ножи (with the stress on the last syllable). The semantic differentiation rule doesn't apply to the word for knife itself, though you might encounter зубья if you are talking about the teeth of a serrated blade!