за счёт + Genitive

By Means of or at the Expense of

Level 5Sounds Like za sčët + roditelʹnyj

Use за счёт + Genitive to explain how something is achieved (mechanism) or who/what is paying for it (resource/sacrifice).

How It Works

The expression за счёт is a derivative preposition that always requires the noun following it to be in the Genitive case.

It has two main nuances:

  • Resource/Mechanism: Explaining the method or factor behind a result (e.g., 'increasing speed through better aerodynamics').
  • Sacrifice/Detriment: Indicating that something is achieved by taking away from something else (e.g., 'living at the expense of one's parents').

Morphology Note: When used with 3rd-person pronouns, the addition of the initial н- (e.g., за счёт него, неё, них) is the standard requirement in modern literary Russian.

Complex Conjunction: To connect this idea to a full clause (with a subject and verb), use the construction за счёт того, что. This allows you to explain a cause or method using a complete sentence.

Punctuation & Usage: Phrases starting with за счёт are generally not set off by commas. However, when using the complex conjunction за счёт того, что, a comma is required before the word что. Note the difference between this preposition and the literal use of the noun счёт (account/bill), such as in the phrase положить деньги на счёт (to put money into the account).

Examples (6)

  1. Он всю жизнь живёт за счёт родителей.

    He has lived at his parents' expense his whole life.

    Word by Word: He all life lives at expense [of] parents.

    Here, 'родителей' is in the genitive plural, showing the source of the financial support.

  2. Мы расширили кухню за счёт коридора.

    We expanded the kitchen at the expense of the corridor.

    Word by Word: We expanded kitchen at expense [of] corridor.

    This implies the kitchen became larger by taking space away from the corridor.

  3. Производительность выросла за счёт новых технологий.

    Productivity increased through new technologies.

    Word by Word: Productivity grew at expense [of] new technologies.

    In a technical context, this identifies the mechanism or reason for the growth.

  4. Компания экономит за счёт сокращения штата.

    The company is saving money by means of staff reduction.

    Word by Word: Company saves at expense [of] reduction [of] staff.

    The genitive 'сокращения' (reduction) follows the preposition to show the method of saving.

  5. Он хочет самоутвердиться за счёт других.

    He wants to assert himself at the expense of others.

    Word by Word: He wants to-self-assert at expense [of] others.

    A common figurative use implying that one person's gain causes another's loss.

  6. Проект стал успешным за счёт того, что мы вовремя нашли инвестора.

    The project became successful due to the fact that we found an investor in time.

    Word by Word: Project became successful at expense [of] that, that we in-time found investor.

    This uses the complex conjunction 'за счёт того, что' to link the result to a subordinate clause.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the preposition as a single word.

    Он живёт засчёт родителей.
    Он живёт за счёт родителей.

    Unlike 'насчёт' (about), 'за счёт' must always be written as two separate words.

  • Using the Accusative case instead of the Genitive.

    За счёт бюджет.
    За счёт бюджета.

    The noun following 'за счёт' must always be in the genitive case (бюджета).

  • Confusing it with 'благодаря' for simple gratitude.

    Я сдал экзамен за счёт учителя.
    Я сдал экзамен благодаря учителю.

    Use 'благодаря' (+ Dative) when you want to express 'thanks to' someone. 'За счёт' sounds more like you used the teacher as a resource or at their detriment.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

за счёт + GenitiveLevel 5By Means of or at the Expense of

Learn This First

To learn 'за счёт + родительный', a learner must be comfortable with the Genitive case endings for nouns. Since this pattern is often used in formal or technical contexts to describe how a result is achieved, it frequently pairs with verbal nouns (nominalization), making knowledge of their formation and how they govern other nouns essential.

Words in This Pattern

счёт