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

Moskveést; mno´go sporti´vnyx klubov, v . . . mo´'no zanima´t;sq 6

spoŕtom. 7 Sego´dnq na festivaĺe vystupa´[t sportsmeńy, s . . .

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my xoti´m poznako´mit;sq. 8 Sport – luhwee sre´dstvo pro´tiv 8

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streśsa, o . . . mno´go govorq´t v o´b]estve. 9 Grinvej-klub, . . .

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toĺ;ko 3 go´da, o´hen; populqŕen sredi´ molode¨'i.

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Sport

Language points ♦

Superlatives

Extreme sport lends itself to description as the fastest, most dangerous, newest, etc. The most straightforward way of expressing such superlatives in Russian is by putting sa´myj before the adjective. Sa´myj, which is a hard adjective, is in exactly the same number, gender and case as the adjective it describes: zanima´t;sq sa´mymi opaśnymi vi´dami spoŕta ‘to engage in the most dangerous sports’.

The eight adjectives with one-word comparatives, referred to in unit 2, form their superlatives variously:

Comparative

Superlative

bol;wo´j

boĺ;wij

sa´myj bol;woj

maĺen;kij

meń;wij

sa´myj maĺen;kij

ploxo´j

xu´dwij

sa´myj xu´dwij or

xu´dwij

xoro´wij

lu´hwij

sa´myj lu´hwij or

lu´hwij

vyso´kij

boĺee vyso´kij

sa´myj vyso´kij

vy

świj

vy

świj (figurative use)

niźkij

boĺee niźkij

sa´myj niźkij

niźwij

niźwij (figurative use)

molodo´j

boĺee molodo´j

sa´myj molodo´j (things)

mla´dwij

sa´myj mla´dwij or

mla´dwij (people only)

staŕyj

boĺee staŕyj

sa´myj staŕyj (things)

staŕwij

sa´myj staŕwij or

staŕwij (people only)

Exercise 6

Put the adjectives in brackets into the superlative in the appropriate case.

1 V klu´be est; zal s (no´vaq) sporti´vnoj te´xnikoj. 2 Tam mo´'no pla´vat; v (zameha´tel;nyj) basse´jne. 3 Klub ne toĺ;ko prinimaét (sporti´vnyj) l[de´j. 4 Zanima´t;sq spoŕtom (xoro´wij) spośob snqt; stress. 5 (Bol;wo´j) kajf dlq \kstremaĺ;]ikov 'it; na kra[

ópaśnosti.

Sport

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The dialogue and the text contain examples of an alternative type of 2

superlative:

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trena'e¨rnye zaĺy s nove´jwej sporti´vnoj te´xnikoj

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gyms with the latest sports technology

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6

predstavlqét intereśnejwee wou

puts on a most interesting show

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These superlatives are formed by replacing the adjective ending with 9

-ejwij, and decline like xoro´wij: staryj – stare´jwij. Their 10

meaning is less literally superlative than the variant with samyj, more 1

a way of giving added emphasis. Adjectives with stems ending in g, 2

k, x change those consonants to ', h, w and take the ending 3

-ajwij:

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veli´kij – veliha´jwij

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vyso´kij – vysoha´jwij

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glubo´kij – gluboha´jwij

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koro´tkij / kra´tkij – kratha´jwij

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le¨gkij – legha´jwij

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stro´gij – stro'a´jwij

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ti´xij – tiwa´jwij

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wiro´kij – wiroha´jwij

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3

Note also bliźkij – bli'a´jwij.

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Exercise 7

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Rewrite the following phrases using the construction odiń / odna´/

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odnoíz followed by the ejwij / ajwij superlative.

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Example: do´bryj helove´k – odiń iz dobre´jwix l[de´j 1