Grammar: Adjectives

Properties of Adjectives

Adjectives in Russian agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.
Adjectives have a singular and plural form, and an animate and inanimate form.
Adjectives can be comparative and superlative in nature.

In the nominative case, singular masculine adjectives typically end in -ый or -ий, feminine adjectives in -ая or -яя, neuter adjectives in -ое or -ее, and plural adjectives in -ые or -ие.
For inanimate objects in the accusative case, the adjective takes the same form as in the nominative case. For animate objects, the adjective takes the form of the genitive case.
It’s important to remember the correct endings for each case.

Certain adjectives also have a short form, which can indicate a temporary state, a quality, or describe a characteristic.
These have different endings: masculine usually ends in -ÿ, feminine in -а, neuter in -о, and plural in -ы.

To form the comparative degree, -ый/-ой/-ий adjectives replace the ending with -ее, and -ая/-яя replace it with -ей.
Some adjectives form the comparative irregularly, by using the word более (‘more’) before the adjective.
The superlative is formed by adding -айш- before the adjective ending, or placing самый (‘the most’) before the adjective.
As with the comparative, some superlatives are formed irregularly.

Adjectives are often placed before the noun they are modifying.
When using an adjective to describe a noun in a sentence, remember to make it agree in case, gender, and number with the noun.
Using correct adjectives appropriately can vastly improve your expression and communication in Russian.

Remember: Practice and consistency are keys to mastering Russian adjectives.