What is the difference between long and short adjectives in Russian?

Most Russian 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 for , , and .

  • They are considered less formal.

• Short adjectives are, unsurprisingly, shortened versions of long adjectives.

  • They can only be used as the 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!

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 with or 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.

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.

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.

Short adjectives in Russian are derived from the forms of long adjectives. Most adjectives are shortened by following the basic rules below. We use the adjective занятой[zanyaTOY](busy) as an example.

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.

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!