Long vs. Short Forms of Russian Adjectives

Most Russian adjectives have two forms: long and short

1. Long Forms (Full Adjectives)

• Used to describe nouns directly (like English "big," "interesting").
• Agree in gender, number, and case.
• Examples:
• Это интересный фильм. (This is an interesting movie.)
• Она красивая. (She is beautiful.)

2. Short Forms (Predicative Adjectives)

• Used after verbs like "to be" (есть, быть) → "The movie is interesting."
• Only change by gender/number (no cases!).
• Formed by dropping -ый/-ий and adding:
  • Masc.: -∅ (интересен)
  • Fem.: -а (интересна)
  • Neut.: -о (интересно)
  • Plural: -ы/-и (интересны)
• Examples:
  • Фильм интересен. (The movie is interesting.)
  • Книга скучна. (The book is boring.)
  • Этот дом стар. (This house is old.)

3. Key Differences

Feature	Long Form (Full)	Short Form (Predicative)
Usage	Describes nouns	Used with "to be"
Cases	Yes (6 cases)	No (only gender/number)
Example	умный студент (smart student)	Студент умен. (The student is smart.)

Simple Takeaway for Foreigners:

• If the adjective is right before the noun (like "a beautiful house"), use the LONG FORM.
• If the adjective is after "is/am/are" (like "The house is beautiful"), you often have a choice:
  • Long form for a general description.
  • Short form for a temporary state, a specific judgment, or if it feels more like an assessment.
• Short forms do not change for case. They only agree in gender and number.
• Pay attention to stress and fleeting vowels when forming short forms.

Start by using long forms. As you get more comfortable, begin experimenting with short forms in predicate position, paying attention to how native speakers use them. If the Russian adjective you need has short forms you can always find them on PROMT.One Conjugator.