In Russian, the words "долго" and "долгий" may look similar, but they are used in different ways. This can make learning Russian a bit tricky at times.

1. What Do They Mean?

• долго: This is an adverb. It means "for a long time" or just "long."

• долгий: This is an adjective. It describes something that is long in size or time.

2. How to Use Them?

• Use долго when talking about how long something lasts:

  • Example: Мы ждали долго. (We waited for a long time.)

• Use долгий to describe a noun:

  • Example: У нас длинный путь. (We have a long road.)

3. Matching Adjectives:

In Russian, adjectives must match the nouns they describe. This means they need to match in gender (like boy or girl), number (singular or plural), and case (the form of the word).

• Masculine: долгий (like in "долгий день" - long day)

• Feminine: долгая (like in "долгая ночь" - long night)

• Neuter: долгое (like in "долгое утро" - long morning)

• Plural: долгие (like in "долгие часы" - long hours)

4. Comparing Lengths:

When you want to compare lengths, you can change "долгий" into different forms:

• Comparative: длиннее (which means "longer")

  • Example: Этот путь длиннее, чем тот. (This road is longer than that one.)

• Superlative: самый долгий (which means "the longest")

  • Example: Это самый долгий фильм. (This is the longest movie.)

By learning how to use "долго" and "долгий" correctly, you will get much better at speaking Russian!