Language/Russian/Grammar/Adjectives

Russian Grammar - Adjectives

In today's lesson, we will be discussing the basics of Russian adjectives. We will look at how to form them, their declension, and how to use them in sentences. By the end of this lesson, you should have a good understanding of how to use adjectives in Russian. Please feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Forming Adjectives

Adjectives in Russian are formed from nouns, verbs, and adverbs. To form an adjective from a noun, you simply add the suffix -ый/-ий/-ой to the end of the noun. For example, the noun дом (house) becomes домовый (of the house). To form an adjective from a verb, you add the suffix -щий/-ший/-ащий/-ящий to the end of the verb. For example, the verb говорить (to speak) becomes говорящий (speaking). To form an adjective from an adverb, you add the suffix -о/-е to the end of the adverb. For example, the adverb быстро (quickly) becomes быстрое (quick).

Declension of Adjectives

Adjectives in Russian decline according to gender, number, and case. The gender of an adjective is determined by the gender of the noun it is describing. The number of an adjective is determined by the number of the noun it is describing. The case of an adjective is determined by the case of the noun it is describing.

For example, the adjective большой (big) declines as follows:

Masculine

Nominative: большой

Accusative: большого

Genitive: большого

Dative: большому

Instrumental: большим

Prepositional: большом

Feminine

Nominative: большая

Accusative: большую

Genitive: большой

Dative: большой

Instrumental: большой

Prepositional: большой

Neuter

Nominative: большое

Accusative: большое

Genitive: большого

Dative: большому

Instrumental: большим

Prepositional: большом

Plural

Nominative: большие

Accusative: больших

Genitive: больших

Dative: большим

Instrumental: большими

Prepositional: больших

Using Adjectives in Sentences

Adjectives in Russian are usually placed before the noun they are describing. For example, the sentence "The big house" would be translated as "Большой дом". However, when using the genitive, dative, instrumental, or prepositional cases, the adjective is placed after the noun. For example, the sentence "I saw the big house" would be translated as "Я видел дома большого".

Adjectives can also be used to compare two things. To do this, you use the comparative form of the adjective. To form the comparative form of an adjective, you add the suffix -ее/-ий/-ая/-яя to the end of the adjective. For example, the adjective большой (big) becomes большее (bigger). To compare two things, you use the word чем (than). For example, the sentence "This house is bigger than that one" would be translated as "Этот дом больше чем тот".

Adjectives can also be used to express a superlative. To do this, you use the superlative form of the adjective. To form the superlative form of an adjective, you add the suffix -ейший/-ийший/-аяшая/-яяшая to the end of the adjective. For example, the adjective большой (big) becomes большейший (the biggest). To express a superlative, you use the word среди (among). For example, the sentence "This is the biggest house among all of them" would be translated as "Это самый большой дом среди всех".

That concludes our lesson on Russian adjectives. Now you should have a good understanding of how to form, decline, and use adjectives in Russian.