Most Russian adjectives have two forms: a long form and short form. Here is the basic difference:
Long adjectives are “normal” adjectives, in their full form.
They can be used in a wide range of different contexts.
They are declined for gender, number, and case.
They are considered less formal.
Short adjectives are, unsurprisingly, shortened versions of long adjectives.
They can only be used as the predicate of a sentence.
They are declined only for gender and number.
They are considered to be more formal, and you’re a lot more likely to see them in written Russian.
Since long adjectives are “normal” adjectives, this post will focus mostly on short adjectives, how to form them, and when to use them instead of long ones. Ready to become a pro in short adjectives? Let’s do it!
What are long adjectives in Russian?
A long adjective in Russian is a “normal” adjective in its full form. These are used to describe general and permanent qualities of a noun or pronoun. It usually goes before the noun or pronoun it describes. Long adjectives agree with nouns or pronouns in gender, number, and case. The long form is usually used in informal, spoken Russian. Check out our introduction to Russian adjectives to learn more about these.
What are short adjectives in Russian?
In Russian, a short adjective is a shortened form of a “normal” (or “long”) adjective. Most adjectives in Russian also have a short form. Unlike long adjectives, short adjectives are not marked for case, so they have only four forms each: masculine, feminine, neuter, plural.
| Masculine | занят transcribed ZAnyatmeaning busy |
|---|---|
| Feminine | занята transcribed zanyaTA |
| Neuter | занято transcribed zanyaTO |
| Plural | заняты transcribed zanyaTY |
Short adjectives can only be used as the predicate of a sentence. This means that when you translate them into English, they’ll usually follow the verb “to be” and they will not come before the noun they describe. For example:
You will never use a short adjective as an attributive adjective, to say, for example, “I saw a beautiful person” or “I bought an expensive car.” If you want to achieve one of these meanings, you’ll have to use a long adjective instead:
In the sections below, we’ll first look at how short adjectives are formed, then we’ll look more closely at when you ought to use short adjectives vs. long adjectives.
How to form short adjectives in Russian?
Short adjectives in Russian are derived from the nominative forms of long adjectives. Most adjectives are shortened by following the basic rules below. We use the adjective занятой transcribed zanyaTOYmeaning busy as an example.
| Gender / Number | Rule | занятой transcribed zanyaTOYmeaning busy | |
|---|---|---|---|
Masculine | Drop the regular adjective ending | занятой Transcription: zanyaTOY | занят Transcription: ZAnyat |
Feminine | Drop last letter я | занятая Transcription: zanyaTAya | занята Transcription: zanyaTA |
Neuter | Drop last letter е | занятое Transcription: zanyaTOE | занято Transcription: zanyaTO |
Plural | Drop last letter е | занятые Transcription: zanyaTYye | заняты Transcription: zanyaTY |
When to add a vowel to a short adjective?
In addition to the changes above, you will need to add a vowel to the masculine singular form of some short adjectives. When the stem ends in a cluster of two or more consonants, a vowel is inserted before the last consonant. For example:
| Gender / Number | яркий transcribed YArkiymeaning bright | |
|---|---|---|
Masculine | яркий Transcription: YArkiy | ярок Transcription: YArok |
Feminine | яркая Transcription: YArkaya | ярка Transcription: yarKA |
Neuter | яркое Transcription: YArkaye | ярко Transcription: yarKO |
Plural | яркие Transcription: YArkiye | ярки Transcription: yarKEE |
What vowel should you add? Usually you can follow the rules below:
Stems with clusters ending in -к transcribed k will get a vowel -о transcribed o before -к in a masculine form
сладкий transcribed sLAdkiymeaning sweet → сладок transcribed sLAdak
Stems with clusters ending in -н transcribed n will get a vowel -е transcribed ye before -н in a masculine form
важный transcribed VAzhnyimeaning important → важен transcribed VAzhen
What are the irregular short adjectives?
The adjectives большой transcribed balSHOYmeaning big and маленький transcribed MAlinkiymeaning small have unique and irregular short forms:
| Gender / Number | большой transcribed balSHOYmeaning big | маленький transcribed MAlinkiymeaning small |
|---|---|---|
Masculine | велик transcribed viLEEK | мал transcribed mal |
Feminine | велика transcribed veliKA | мала transcribed maLA |
Neuter | велико transcribed viliKO | мало transcribed maLO |
Plural | велики transcribed viliKEE | малы transcribed maLi |
Where to put the stress in short adjectives?
The rules below can help you determine what syllable to stress in a short adjective. These rules are not without exceptions, but they serve as a good guideline.
| Description | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Plural forms of all short adjectives | Stress can go on the ending or to the stem. Both pronunciations are correct. | важный → важны Transcription: VAzhnyi → VAzhny / vazhNY Translation: important занятой → заняты Transcription: zanyaTOY → ZAnyati or zanyaTY Translation: busy |
Adjectives with a stem ending in: -ив, -лив, -чив, -им, -н, -альн, -ельн, -ист | Stress in short adjectives usually is on the same syllable as in long adjectives. | красивый → красив / красива / красиво / красивы Transcription: kraSEEvyi → kraSEEv / kraSEEva / kraSEEva / kraSEEvy Translation: beautiful печальный → печален / печальна / печально / печальны Transcription: piCHAlnyi → piCHAlen / piCHAlna / piCHAlna / piCHAlny Translation: sad |
Adjectives with a single-syllable stem, without the endings -к or -и | Stress in short feminine adjectives goes to the ending. In all other cases, stress is not affected. | пустой → пуст / пуста / пусто / пусты Transcription: poostOY → poost / pooSTA / POOsta / pooSTY Translation: empty крепкий → крепок / крепка / крепко / крепки Transcription: KREpkiy → KREpok / krepKA / KREpka / krepKI Translation: strong |
Long vs. short adjectives: What is the difference in meaning?
As we mentioned above, Russian short adjectives can only be used as the predicate of a sentence. However, long adjectives can serve as the predicate of a sentence too:
So what is the difference in meaning between the two? The answer depends a little on the adjective you use, but there are some generalizations we can draw:
Short adjectives are more formal. You’re more likely to see them in writing, while in speech we generally use long adjectives.
Sometimes there is a slight difference in meaning. While this is mostly dependent on the adjective you use, the short adjective will most often have a more temporary feel.
Some adjectives do not have a short form, so the long form is the only option.
Usually there is not a huge difference in meaning between using a long or short adjective as a predicate though, so this can be just a matter of preference.
Summary
These are the main points to remember about long vs. short adjectives in Russian:
Long adjectives → the “dictionary” version
Are declined for case, number, and gender
Can be predicative (e.g. “X is red”) or attributive (e.g. “a red X”)
Less formal
Short adjectives → formed by shortening the nominative of the long adjective
Are declined only for number and gender
Can only be predicative (e.g. “X is red”)
More formal, often used in writing
Ready to practice? Download the short adjective activities below! Happy learning!
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