A2 · Elementary Chapter 28

Describing Characteristics

1 Total Rules
11 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of expressing temporary states and personal judgments using Russian short-form adjectives.

  • Identify the difference between long and short adjectives.
  • Conjugate adjectives based on gender and number.
  • Apply short forms to describe current physical or mental states.
Speak naturally by mastering short-form states.

What You'll Learn

Advanced adjective usage and short-form adjectives. Expressing states of being.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Correctly use short-form adjectives like 'готов' (ready) and 'прав' (right) to describe yourself and others.

Key Examples (2)

1

Я так рад тебя видеть!

I am so glad to see you!

Russian Short Form Adjectives: Saying "I'm ready" or "You're right" (`готов`, `прав`)
2

Ты готов к экзамену?

Are you ready for the exam?

Russian Short Form Adjectives: Saying "I'm ready" or "You're right" (`готов`, `прав`)

Tips & Tricks (1)

🎯

The 'Is' Replacement

Remember that Russian has no present tense 'to be'. The short form adjective essentially contains the 'is' inside it. Он готов = 'He [is] ready'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Short Form Adjectives: Saying "I'm ready" or "You're right" (`готов`, `прав`)

Key Vocabulary (5)

готов (gotov) ready (masc) права (prava) right/correct (fem) занят (zanyat) busy (masc) рады (rady) happy/glad (plural) здоров (zdorov) healthy/well (masc)

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting for Coffee

Review Summary

  • Adj (shortened) + agreement (M: -, F: -а, N: -о, Pl: -ы)

Common Mistakes

Short-form adjectives do not require the verb 'to be' (есть) in the present tense.

Wrong: Я есть готовый.
Correct: Я готов.

You must match the gender of the subject. 'Она' is feminine, so use 'готова'.

Wrong: Она готов.
Correct: Она готова.

Plural subjects require the plural ending '-ы'.

Wrong: Они прав.
Correct: Они правы.

Next Steps

You are doing fantastic! Keep building your vocabulary and your confidence will naturally follow.

Write 5 sentences about how you feel today using different short-form adjectives.

Continue to: Conjunctions and Connectors

Quick Practice (2)

Fill in the correct short form of 'готовый' (ready) for a female subject.

Анна, ты ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: готова
Since Anna is feminine, we add the -а ending to the stem 'готов-'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Short Form Adjectives: Saying "I'm ready" or "You're right" (`готов`, `прав`)

Find the mistake in this sentence about being busy.

Find and fix the mistake:

Мы очень занятый сегодня.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мы очень заняты сегодня.
'Мы' (we) is plural, so the adjective must be the plural short form 'заняты'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian Short Form Adjectives: Saying "I'm ready" or "You're right" (`готов`, `прав`)

Score: /2

Common Questions (2)

Yes! Just add the past tense of 'to be' (был, была, было, были). Example: Я был готов (I was ready).
This is a 'fill vowel'. When the stem ends in two consonants (мн), Russian adds an 'ё' or 'е' in the masculine form to make it easier to pronounce.
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