Language/Russian/Grammar/Comparatives-and-Superlatives

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Russian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Adjectives and Adverbs → Comparatives and Superlatives

Introduction

Welcome to the lesson on comparatives and superlatives in Russian grammar! In this lesson, you will learn how to form comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs in Russian, and how to use them in sentences. This lesson is part of the "Complete 0 to A1 Russian Course" and is designed for complete beginners who want to learn Russian. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to compare things and express the highest degree of something in Russian. So let's get started!

Adjective Agreement

Before we dive into comparatives and superlatives, let's quickly review adjective agreement in Russian. Adjectives in Russian change their form to agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. This means that the ending of the adjective will change depending on the gender of the noun it describes, whether the noun is singular or plural, and the grammatical case it appears in.

For example, let's take the adjective "красивый" (beautiful) and see how it changes based on the noun it modifies:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
красивый	krah-SEE-vy	beautiful (masculine singular)
красивая	krah-SEE-vuh-yuh	beautiful (feminine singular)
красивое	krah-SEE-vuh-ye	beautiful (neuter singular)
красивые	krah-SEE-vy-ye	beautiful (plural)

As you can see, the ending of the adjective changes depending on the gender and number of the noun it describes. This is an important concept to understand when forming comparatives and superlatives in Russian.

Comparatives

Comparatives are used to compare two things or express a higher degree of something. In Russian, comparatives can be formed in two ways: by adding the suffix "-ее" or by using the word "более" (more) followed by the adjective or adverb.

Let's see some examples of how to form comparatives in Russian:

1. Using the "-ее" suffix:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
хороший	hah-ROH-shee	good
лучше	LOO-she	better
плохой	PLOH-khoy	bad
хуже	HOO-zhe	worse
большой	BOHL'-shoy	big
больше	BOHL'-she	bigger

As you can see, to form the comparative, we simply add the "-ее" suffix to the adjective or adverb.

2. Using the word "более" (more):

Russian	Pronunciation	English
интересный	een-tye-REHS-ny	interesting
более интересный	BOH-lye-ye een-tye-REHS-ny	more interesting
скучный	SKOOCH-ny	boring
более скучный	BOH-lye-ye SKOOCH-ny	more boring

In this case, we use the word "более" (more) before the adjective or adverb to indicate the comparative form.

Superlatives

Superlatives are used to express the highest or most extreme degree of something. In Russian, superlatives can be formed in two ways: by adding the suffix "-ейший" or by using the word "самый" (the most) followed by the adjective or adverb.

Let's see some examples of how to form superlatives in Russian:

1. Using the "-ейший" suffix:

Russian	Pronunciation	English
высокий	VY-so-kee	tall
самый высокий	SAH-miy VY-so-kee	the tallest
маленький	mah-LYEN'-kee	small
самый маленький	SAH-miy mah-LYEN'-kee	the smallest
умный	OOM-ny	smart
самый умный	SAH-miy OOM-ny	the smartest

To form the superlative, we add the "-ейший" suffix to the adjective or adverb.

2. Using the word "самый" (the most):

Russian	Pronunciation	English
красивый	krah-SEE-vy	beautiful
самый красивый	SAH-miy krah-SEE-vy	the most beautiful
интересный	een-tye-REHS-ny	interesting
самый интересный	SAH-miy een-tye-REHS-ny	the most interesting

In this case, we use the word "самый" (the most) before the adjective or adverb to indicate the superlative form.

Using Comparatives and Superlatives in Sentences

Now that we know how to form comparatives and superlatives in Russian, let's learn how to use them in sentences.

1. Comparatives:

When using comparatives in sentences, we need to keep in mind the following structure:

Subject + verb + comparative + noun

For example:

- Моя кошка выше твоей кошки. (My cat is taller than your cat.) - Этот фильм интереснее того фильма. (This movie is more interesting than that movie.)

In these examples, the comparative form of the adjective is used to compare two things.

2. Superlatives:

When using superlatives in sentences, we need to keep in mind the following structure:

Subject + verb + superlative + noun

For example:

- Ленинград - самый красивый город России. (St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city in Russia.) - Это самое вкусное блюдо, которое я когда-либо пробовал. (This is the most delicious dish I've ever tried.)

In these examples, the superlative form of the adjective is used to indicate the highest degree of something.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned how to form comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs in Russian. You now know how to compare things and express the highest degree of something. Keep practicing and using comparatives and superlatives in your conversations to improve your Russian skills. In the next lesson, we will continue exploring the world of Russian grammar. Спасибо и до скорой встречи! (Thank you and see you soon!)

Table of Contents - Russian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Basic Phrases and Greetings

• Greetings and Introductions
• Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Noun Gender
• Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Cases and Prepositions

• Nominative Case
• Prepositional Case

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships and Marital Status

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Out

  ---

Russian Traditions and Holidays

• National Holidays
• Traditional Celebrations

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Hobbies
• Entertainment

  ---

Russian Literature and Arts

• Famous Writers
• Russian Art and Music

Sources

• Comparatives and superlatives of Russian adjectives explained
• Superlative adjective :: Study Russian Online
• Comparative adjectives in the Russian language

Other Lessons

• How to Use be
• Nouns
• Personal Pronouns
• Punctuation
• Noun Adjective Agreement
• Use of the verb быть in the past
• Give your Opinion
• To and же particles in Russian
• Perfective Imperfective
• Nominative Case

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