Difference between revisions of "Language/Russian/Grammar/Comparatives-and-Superlatives"
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==Videos== | |||
===Russian Grammar: Degrees of Comparison - YouTube=== | |||
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgqfWWXnlvg</youtube> | |||
===Intermediate Russian: Making Comparisons. Comparatives - YouTube=== | |||
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX6XeRv8L3U</youtube> | |||
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Revision as of 15:46, 22 March 2023
As a Russian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to share with you the intricacies of forming comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs in Russian. This lesson is part of the "Complete 0 to A1 Russian Course", designed to take you from a complete beginner to an A1 level speaker.
Introduction
When learning any language, it is important to understand how to compare things, people, or actions. Russian, like many other languages, has a system for forming comparatives and superlatives to express these comparisons.
In this lesson, you will learn about the formation of comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs in Russian, and how to use them in sentences. The lesson assumes that you are already familiar with the basics of Russian grammar, including the gender of nouns and the declension of adjectives and nouns.
Comparatives of Adjectives and Adverbs
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two items, people, or actions. In English, the comparative form is usually formed by adding -er to the end of the adjective, for example, "bigger" or "faster". In Russian, comparatives are formed in a similar way, but with some important differences.
The comparative form of adjectives is formed by adding the ending -е at the end of the stem. If the stem ends in a consonant, the ending -же is used instead. If the adjective has a soft sign at the end, the ending -е is added directly to the stem, without the soft sign.
Let's take a look at some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| высокий (vysokee) | vɨˈsokʲɪj | high | выше (vyshe) | ˈvɨʂɨ | higher |
| быстрый (bystryi) | ˈbɨstrɨj | fast | быстрее (bystrʲeye) | ˈbɨstrʲɪjɪ | faster |
| хороший (khoroshii) | xɐrɐˈʂɨj | good | лучше (luchshe) | ˈlut͡ʂʂɪ | better |
As you can see from the examples, the comparative form of adjectives is formed by removing the last two letters of the stem and adding -е or -же instead. The comparative form of adjectives agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Irregular Comparatives
As with most languages, there are some irregular comparative forms that do not follow the standard pattern. Here are some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| маленький (malyenkiy) | mɐˈlʲenʲkʲɪj | small | меньше (men'she) | ˈmʲenʲʂɨ | smaller |
| старый (staryi) | stɐˈrɨj | old | старше (starshye) | ˈstarʂɨjɪ | older |
| хороший (khoroshii) | xɐrɐˈʂɨj | good | лучше (luchshe) | ˈlut͡ʂʂɪ | better |
| большой (bol'shoy) | bɐlʲˈʂoj | big | больше (bol'she) | ˈbɐlʲʂɨ | bigger |
Superlatives of Adjectives and Adverbs
Superlative adjectives are used to compare three or more items, people, or actions. In English, the superlative is usually formed by adding -est to the end of the adjective, for example, "biggest" or "fastest". In Russian, superlatives are also formed in a similar way, but with some important differences.
The superlative form of adjectives is formed by adding the ending -ой or -ей to the end of the stem, depending on the gender of the noun. Adjectives ending in a consonant usually take the ending -ой, while adjectives ending in -ий take the ending -ей. If the stem ends in a vowel, the ending -ей is used instead of -ой.
Let's take a look at some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| высокий (vysokee) | vɨˈsokʲɪj | high | самый высокий (samiy vysokiy) | ˈsamɨj ˈvɨsokʲɪj | the highest |
| быстрый (bystryi) | ˈbɨstrɨj | fast | самый быстрый (samiy bystryy) | ˈsamɨj ˈbɨstrɨj | the fastest |
| хороший (khoroshii) | xɐrɐˈʂɨj | good | самый хороший (samiy khoroshiy) | ˈsamɨj xɐrɐˈʂɨj | the best |
Superlatives of adjectives follow the same gender and number agreement rules as the comparative form.
Irregular Superlatives
As with comparatives, there are also some irregular superlative forms in Russian. Here are some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| маленький (malyenkiy) | mɐˈlʲenʲkʲɪj | small | самый маленький (samiy malyenkiy) | ˈsamɨj mɐˈlʲenʲkʲɪj | the smallest |
| старый (staryi) | stɐˈrɨj | old | самый старый (samiy staryy) | ˈsamɨj ˈstarɨj | the oldest |
| хороший (khoroshii) | xɐrɐˈʂɨj | good | самый хороший (samiy khoroshiy) | ˈsamɨj xɐrɐˈʂɨj | the best |
| большой (bol'shoy) | bɐlʲˈʂoj | big | самый большой (samiy bol'shoy) | ˈsamɨj bɐlʲˈʂoj | the biggest |
Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
In addition to adjectives, adverbs can also be compared. Comparative adverbs are used to compare two actions, while superlative adverbs are used to compare three or more actions. The comparative and superlative forms of adverbs are generally formed by adding -ее and -ейше, respectively, to the end of the adverb.
Let's take a look at some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| быстро (bystra) | ˈbɨstro | fast | быстрее (bystrʲeye) | ˈbɨstrʲɪjɪ | faster | самым быстро (samy bystro) | ˈsamɨm ˈbɨstro | the fastest |
When compared, adverbs do not change in gender or number.
Usage in Sentences
To use comparatives and superlatives in sentences, you need to follow a specific structure. Comparative sentences use the structure "A (noun) - (verb) - B (noun) + (comparative)", while superlative sentences use the structure "A (noun) - самый (superlative) - в (location) + из (group of things)". Let's take a look at some examples:
| Russian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Кошка быстрее собаки. (Koshka bystrye sorbagi) | ˈkoʂkə bɨstrʲɪjɪ sɐˈbakʲɪ | The cat is faster than the dog. |
| Самый красивый город в мире. (Samiy krasivyy gorod v myre) | ˈsamɨj krɐˈsʲivɨj ˈɡorət f mʲirʲe | The most beautiful city in the world. |
As you can see, the structure of comparative and superlative sentences includes the comparative or superlative form itself, as well as the specific nouns and verbs being compared.
Conclusion
Learning how to form comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs is an essential part of mastering the Russian language. As with any new grammar structure, be sure to practice using comparatives and superlatives in context, so that you can use them confidently in everyday conversation.
With this lesson, you are one step closer to becoming an A1 level speaker of Russian. In our next lesson, we will delve deeper into the world of hobbies and leisure activities.
Videos
Russian Grammar: Degrees of Comparison - YouTube
Intermediate Russian: Making Comparisons. Comparatives - YouTube