Svetlana Flemming - Colloquial Russian - The Next Step in Language Learning

pro´]e

simpler

rańnij

rań;we

earlier

re´dkij

re´'e

rarer

sla´dkij

sla´]e

sweeter

staŕyj

staŕwe

older

stro´gij

stro´'e

stricter

ti´xij

ti´we

quieter

uźkij

u´'e

narrower

xoro´wij

lu´hwe

better

haśtyj

ha´]e

more often

hiśtyj

hi´]e

cleaner

wiro´kij

wiŕe

wider

bol;wo´j

boĺ;we

bigger

maĺen;kij

meń;we

smaller

N.B. boĺ;we also means ‘more’ and meń;we ‘less’. Poźdnij has two alternative forms – pozdneé / poź'e ‘later’. Some adjectives do not have a short comparative, e.g. adjectives ending in -skij. When a comparative is required, use the boĺee form.

Exercise 7

Complete the following sentences using a word meaning the opposite of the first comparative.

Transport

|

51

1111

1 Q staŕwe bra´ta, brat . . . menqńa 5 let. 2 Rasstoqńie do Lońdona 2

koro´he, do Moskvy´ . . . 3 Lete´t; samole¨tom bystreé, e´xat; poézdom 3

. . . 4 V Moskveóbslu´'ivanie lu´hwe, v provińcii . . . 5 Ruśskij 4

qzy´k trudneé, francuźskij

. . . 6 Aviaciońnyj trańsport

5

grqzneé, 'eleznodoro´'nyj . . . 7 Stoímost; proeźda v peŕvom 6

klaśse vy´we, vo vtoro´m . . . 8 Ha´]e l[

´ di smo´trqt vi´deo, . . . xo´dqt

7

v kino´. 9 Rań;we vse eźdili na poézde, . . . staĺi leta´t; na 8111

samole¨te. 10 Sejhaś boĺ;we smo´trqt televiźor, . . . slu´wa[t 9

ra´dio. 11 Exat; na avto´buse dewe´vle, na poézde . . .

10

1

2

After a short comparative, ‘than’ is usually rendered by putting the 3

object of comparison into the genitive:

4

5

Avto´bus udo´bnee poézda.

The bus is more convenient than the train.

6

7

The genitive cannot be used to translate ‘than’ if the object of compar-8

ison is not in the nominative:

9

20111

Bystreé e´xat; na poézde, hem na avto´buse.

1

It is faster to go by train than bus.

2

or not a noun or pronoun:

3

4

Lu´hwe v Rossií, hem zdes;.

5

It is better in Russia than here.

6

7

or ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘its’ or ‘theirs’:

8

Naw tur intereśnee, hem ix.

9

Our tour is more interesting than theirs.

30

1

2

Exercise 8

3

4

5

Change the adjectives to short comparatives and put the words in 6

brackets into the genitive.

7

1 Hemodań tq'e¨lyj (su´mka). 2 Moskvaśtaŕaq (Peterbuŕg).

8

3 Oteć staŕyj (mat;). 4 Sestra´ moloda´q (brat). 5 Voĺga wiro´kaq 9

40

(Te´mza). 6 Meśqc fevraĺ; koro´tkij (mart). 7 Poézd dewe¨vyj 1

(samole¨t). 8 Ozero Bajkaĺ glubo´koe (oźero Ness). 9 Mosko´vskoe 421111

metro´ hiśtoe (lońdonskoe metro´).

52

|

Transport

Constructions with the comparative

Kak mo´'no

as . . . as possible

Kak mo´'no dewe´vle

as cheap as possible

Hem . . . tem

the . . . er, the . . . er

Hem dewe´vle, tem lu´hwe

the cheaper the better

Note: Tem lu´hwe ‘So much the better’.

Goraźdo / namno´go / kuda´

much . . . er

Poézd goraźdo / namno´go dewe´vle samole¨ta

the train is much cheaper than the plane

Vse¨

ever . . . er

Stroít; doro´gi stano´vitsq vse¨ doro´'e (i doro´'e).

Building roads is becoming ever more expensive / more and more expensive.

Note also the use of v and na in measuring difference: na has meń;we

an hour less

v dva raźa boĺ;we

twice as big

Exercise 9

Use the construction hem . . . tem to form sentences.

Example: Prosta´q zada´ha – onaĺe¨gkaq. – Hem pro´]e zada´ha, tem onaĺe´ghe.

1 Avto´bus me´dlennyj – on dewe¨vyj. 2 Soboŕ staŕyj – on intereśnyj. 3 Ozero glubo´koe – onoópaśnoe. 4 Helove´k staŕyj –

on u´mnyj. 5 Doro´ga daleko´ – ee¨ tru´dno stroít;. 6 Voźdux hiśtyj

– \´to xorowo´ dlq zdoro´v;q. 7 Marwru´t prosto´j – on le¨gkij.