In Russian, superlative adjectives help us describe something as the best or the highest quality. For example, "самый маленький" means "the smallest." In this lesson, we will learn how to use these special adjectives. We'll focus on gender, number, and case.

1. How Superlative Adjectives Work

To form superlative adjectives in Russian, you usually start with the word "самый," which means "the most." Then you add the base form of the adjective. Here are some important notes to keep in mind:

• Base adjective: Use the masculine form of the adjective. For example:

  • маленький (small) becomes самый маленький (the smallest).

• Gender agreement: The word "самый" changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. Here’s how it works:

  • Masculine: самый (самый маленький)
  • Feminine: самая (самая маленькая)
  • Neuter: самое (самое маленькое)
  • Plural: самые (самые маленькие)

2. Examples of Superlative Adjectives

Let’s see how “самый маленький” changes in different sentences:

• Masculine:

  • Sentence: Это самый маленький дом в городе.
    (This is the smallest house in the city.)

• Feminine:

  • Sentence: Она самая маленькая девочка в классе.
    (She is the smallest girl in the class.)

• Neuter:

  • Sentence: Это самое маленькое яблоко на столе.
    (This is the smallest apple on the table.)

• Plural:

  • Sentence: Они самые маленькие котята в коробке.
    (They are the smallest kittens in the box.)

3. Agreement in Case

Adjectives also need to match the case of the nouns they describe. Russian has six cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, and prepositional. The endings of superlative adjectives will change based on the case. Here are some examples in the nominative case:

Now, let’s see how they change in the accusative case:

• Masculine:

  • Ты видишь самый маленький дом?
    (Do you see the smallest house?)

• Feminine:

  • Ты знаешь самую маленькую девочку?
    (Do you know the smallest girl?)

• Neuter:

  • Ты купил самое маленькое яблоко?
    (Did you buy the smallest apple?)

• Plural:

  • Ты видел самых маленьких котят?
    (Did you see the smallest kittens?)

4. Key Points to Remember

• Superlative adjectives are formed by using "самый" with the right adjective.
• Make sure to match gender, number, and case:
  • Masculine: самый
  • Feminine: самая
  • Neuter: самое
  • Plural: самые
• Always change the endings based on the case of the noun they are describing.

By understanding these ideas, you will get better at using superlative adjectives in Russian. Practice making sentences with different genders and cases to help you remember!