Breakdown of Этими тупыми ножницами трудно работать.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
работать
to work
ножницы
the scissors
тупой
dull / blunt
трудно
it is hard, difficult
Questions & Answers about Этими тупыми ножницами трудно работать.
Why is ножницами in the instrumental case here?
It expresses the tool used to perform an action. In Russian, using an object as an instrument is shown by putting it in the bare instrumental case without a preposition. So, Этими тупыми ножницами translates to 'with these blunt scissors'.
Since the current lesson is about plural nuances, does ножницы have multiple plural forms or a singular form?
Neither. Ножницы is a plural-only noun (pluralia tantum). Unlike words with dual plurals carrying different meanings (like листы vs. листья), it only has one form and always takes plural adjectives and pronouns (этими тупыми), even when referring to just one pair of scissors.
If it is always plural, how would I specify 'one pair' versus 'two pairs' of scissors?
You use the plural form of the number one (одни ножницы) for a single pair. For two or more, you must use collective numerals (двое ножниц, трое ножниц) or the word for pair (две пары ножниц). Notice that the genitive plural ножниц is used after those numerals.
Could I add the preposition с and say С этими тупыми ножницами трудно работать?
No, that would sound unnatural. The preposition с (with) plus the instrumental case usually implies accompaniment or dealing with a situation (like working alongside a person or struggling with a problem). Because the scissors are the physical tool you are manipulating, the bare instrumental case is required.
Why does the sentence start with the tool instead of Трудно работать...?
Russian word order typically places the known topic at the beginning and the new information at the end. By starting with Этими тупыми ножницами, the speaker establishes the scissors as the topic ('As for these blunt scissors...'), followed by the core point being made: they are hard to work with.
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