1
Adjectives
Russian A1 · Unit 9
GoalDescribe a masculine noun with an adjective that comes before it.
New words
но́вый (nóvyy) · newста́рый (stáryy) · oldбольшо́й (bolʹshóy) · bigма́ленький (málenʹkiy) · smallхоро́ший (khoróshiy) · goodплохо́й (plokhóy) · badкраси́вый (krasívyy) · beautifulинтере́сный (interésnyy) · interesting
Explanation
An adjective tells us what a thing is like. In Russian it stands before the noun, as in English: но́вый дом, a new house. The adjective must match the noun. For a masculine noun the adjective ends in -ый, -ий or -ой: но́вый, ма́ленький, большо́й. In большо́й and плохо́й the stress is on the ending. The ending -ый is the sound ы followed by a short й (like “y” in “boy”): nóvyy. Learn adjectives in opposite pairs.
| Adjective | Opposite | Example |
|---|---|---|
| но́вый | ста́рый | но́вый телефо́н |
| большо́й | ма́ленький | большо́й дом |
| хоро́ший | плохо́й | хоро́ший друг |
| краси́вый | — | краси́вый цвето́к |
Worked examples
Opposites in pairs. Listen: new and old, big and small.
The adjective comes first. Listen: a big house, a new phone, a beautiful flower.
Али́
Э́то твой телефо́н?
Анва́р
Да, э́то мой но́вый телефо́н.
Али́
Он о́чень краси́вый!
Class activity
Make opposite cards: write но́вый on one card and ста́рый on another, and the same for the other pairs. Mix them and match the pairs. Then take five masculine nouns (дом, стул, телефо́н, компью́тер, каранда́ш) and say each with two different adjectives.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Is this word one of the adjectives of this lesson?
…
No. It is кра́сный (krásnyy), “red”: a colour. You meet colours in the next lesson.
2
Say the opposite of но́вый.
ста́рый (stáryy), old.
3
Say “a big house” in Russian.
большо́й дом.
4
The picture shows a mouse. Which word fits: ма́ленький or большо́й?
ма́ленький (small).
5
Read the phrase aloud. What does it mean?
“A beautiful flower.”