Short and long forms of adjectives
Russian adjectives
Russian adjectives have short and long forms. Remember that only qualitative adjectives may have both long and short forms (красивый- красив, быстрый- быстр). Although in modern Russian language the use of the long form is preferred, you will most likely come across the short form as well:
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| Long form | Short form | Wrong usage |
| опасный преступник (a dangerous criminal) | он опасен! (he is dangerous!) | он опасный!(sounds awkward) |
| согласный (someone who agrees) | он согласен | он согласный(wrong) |
Short adjectives are modified by the gender and number only, not by case(some exceptions that remained from old russian: на босу ногу, средь бела дня). Masculine short adjectives in the sinsular form have zero ending, whereas feminine adjectives in the singular form have -a ending, and singular neuter adjectives in the singular form -o ending. Short adjectives in the plural have-ы ending.
| Singular | Plural | ||
| Masculine (zero ending) | Neuter (-о) | Feminine(-а) | -ы |
| согласен (someone who agrees) | согласно | согласна | согласны |
| приятен (pleasant, nice) | приятно | приятна | приятны |
| достоен (deserving,worthy) | достойно | достойна | достойны |
Short forms for the adjectives большой and маленький are велик and мал
Some adjectives that do not have a short form are:
- most color names: оливковый, синий (olive,blue)
- subjective atiitude adjectives: хорошенький, злющий (something good & little, very very angry)
- some other types: боевая награда (military award), ближний путь(closest way) etc
Some on the contrary do not have a full form: великоват (too large), маловат (too small), рад (glad) and others.
