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Descriptive, quantitative, demonstrative, possessive and other adjective types.
Adjectives describe or identify nouns and pronouns.
They provide information about qualities, quantity, identity, possession, origin and other characteristics.
She bought a beautiful dress.
Она купила красивое платье.
"Beautiful" describes a quality of the noun "dress".
We live in a quiet neighborhood.
Мы живем в тихом районе.
"Quiet" describes the noun "neighborhood".
He is a smart student.
Он умный студент.
"Smart" describes the person represented by "student".
I need a new phone.
Мне нужен новый телефон.
"New" identifies the kind of phone being discussed.
The kitchen looks clean.
Кухня выглядит чистой.
"Clean" describes the subject after the linking verb "looks".
That was a difficult question.
Это был сложный вопрос.
"Difficult" describes the noun "question".
Her new apartment is spacious.
Ее новая квартира просторная.
"New" modifies "apartment", while "spacious" describes it after the linking verb.
The movie was exciting.
Фильм был захватывающим.
"Exciting" describes the subject "movie".
Descriptive adjectives describe the qualities or characteristics of nouns.
Examples include big, beautiful, clever, noisy and comfortable.
We stayed in a comfortable hotel.
Мы остановились в комфортабельном отеле.
"Comfortable" describes the quality of the hotel.
She has a friendly dog.
У нее дружелюбная собака.
"Friendly" describes the dog's character.
That is a large house.
Это большой дом.
"Large" describes the size of the house.
He drives a fast car.
Он водит быструю машину.
"Fast" describes the characteristic of the car.
It was a noisy restaurant.
Это был шумный ресторан.
"Noisy" describes the restaurant's sound level.
The weather is beautiful today.
Сегодня прекрасная погода.
"Beautiful" describes the weather after the linking verb.
She bought an expensive computer.
Она купила дорогой компьютер.
"Expensive" describes the price of the computer.
The soup smells delicious.
Суп вкусно пахнет.
"Delicious" describes the soup after the linking verb "smells".
Quantitative adjectives indicate how much or how many.
Examples include many, several, few, little and enough.
Many students use laptops in class.
Многие студенты используют ноутбуки на занятиях.
"Many" indicates a large number of students.
Several people called this morning.
Несколько человек звонили сегодня утром.
"Several" indicates a small number greater than a few.
Few customers complained about the service.
Мало клиентов пожаловались на обслуживание.
"Few" indicates a small and possibly insufficient number.
Little time was left before the meeting.
До собрания оставалось мало времени.
"Little" indicates a small amount of the uncountable noun "time".
Enough chairs were available for everyone.
Стульев было достаточно для всех.
"Enough" indicates sufficient quantity.
A few employees stayed late.
Несколько сотрудников остались допоздна.
"A few" indicates a small but meaningful number.
Much information is available online.
В интернете доступно много информации.
"Much" is used with the uncountable noun "information".
There are too many cars on this street.
На этой улице слишком много машин.
"Too many" indicates an excessive number of cars.
Demonstrative adjectives identify specific nouns, while possessive adjectives express ownership.
Examples include this, that, these, those, my, your and their.
This book is interesting.
Эта книга интересная.
"This" identifies the singular noun "book" as near the speaker.
Those shoes are too expensive.
Те туфли слишком дорогие.
"Those" identifies a plural noun as distant from the speaker.
These cookies are delicious.
Эти печенья вкусные.
"These" identifies nearby plural cookies.
That car belongs to my neighbor.
Та машина принадлежит моему соседу.
"That" identifies a specific singular car farther from the speaker.
My brother lives in Texas.
Мой брат живет в Техасе.
"My" shows the relationship between the speaker and the noun "brother".
Her parents own a restaurant.
Ее родители владеют рестораном.
"Her" expresses possession or relationship.
Our house is near the school.
Наш дом находится рядом со школой.
"Our" shows that the house belongs to or is associated with the speaker and others.
Their dog is very friendly.
Их собака очень дружелюбная.
"Their" expresses possession or association.
Interrogative adjectives introduce questions about nouns.
The main interrogative adjectives are which, what and whose when they modify nouns.
Which restaurant do you want to try?
Какой ресторан ты хочешь попробовать?
"Which" modifies the noun "restaurant" and asks the listener to choose from known options.
What movie are you watching?
Какой фильм ты смотришь?
"What" modifies the noun "movie" in an open-ended question.
Whose car is parked outside?
Чья машина припаркована снаружи?
"Whose" modifies the noun "car" and asks about possession.
Which jacket is yours?
Какая куртка твоя?
"Which" asks the listener to identify one jacket from a known set.
What time does the store open?
Во сколько открывается магазин?
"What" modifies the noun "time".
Whose phone is ringing?
Чей телефон звонит?
"Whose" asks who owns or is associated with the phone.
Which bus goes downtown?
Какой автобус идет в центр?
"Which" refers to one choice among a limited set of buses.
What color is the new car?
Какого цвета новая машина?
"What" modifies "color" in a question about a characteristic.
Distributive adjectives refer to members of a group individually.
Examples include each, every, either and neither when they modify nouns.
Each student received a worksheet.
Каждый студент получил лист с заданиями.
"Each" modifies the singular noun "student" and focuses on individuals.
Every employee must complete the training.
Каждый сотрудник должен пройти обучение.
"Every" refers to all members individually as part of a complete set.
Either answer is acceptable.
Любой из двух ответов приемлем.
"Either" refers to one of two alternatives.
Neither answer is correct.
Ни один из двух ответов не является правильным.
"Neither" excludes both members of a pair.
Each apartment has its own entrance.
У каждой квартиры есть отдельный вход.
"Each" emphasizes the apartments individually.
Every room has a window.
В каждой комнате есть окно.
"Every" expresses a feature shared by all rooms.
Either route will take about an hour.
Любой из двух маршрутов займет около часа.
"Either" is limited to two alternatives.
Neither option is available.
Ни один из двух вариантов недоступен.
"Neither" means that both alternatives are excluded.
Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.
They usually begin with a capital letter, such as American, French and Shakespearean.
She enjoys American movies.
Ей нравятся американские фильмы.
"American" is formed from the proper noun "America" and is capitalized.
We ordered some French food.
Мы заказали французскую еду.
"French" is a proper adjective derived from "France".
He studies Shakespearean drama.
Он изучает шекспировскую драму.
"Shakespearean" is derived from the proper name "Shakespeare".
They bought an Italian car.
Они купили итальянскую машину.
"Italian" is a proper adjective formed from "Italy".
We ate Mexican food for dinner.
Мы ели мексиканскую еду на ужин.
"Mexican" is derived from the proper noun "Mexico".
She is taking an American history course.
Она изучает курс американской истории.
"American" modifies the noun "history".
The museum has several Egyptian artifacts.
В музее есть несколько египетских артефактов.
"Egyptian" is a proper adjective derived from "Egypt".
He is interested in Victorian architecture.
Он интересуется викторианской архитектурой.
"Victorian" is a proper adjective derived from the proper name "Victoria".
Compound adjectives consist of two or more words functioning as a single adjective.
Examples include well-known, full-time and high-quality.
She works for a well-known company.
Она работает в известной компании.
"Well-known" functions as one adjective before the noun.
He has a full-time job.
У него работа на полный рабочий день.
"Full-time" is a compound adjective modifying "job".
We provide high-quality services.
Мы предоставляем качественные услуги.
"High-quality" combines two words into one adjective before the noun.
They rented a two-bedroom apartment.
Они сняли квартиру с двумя спальнями.
"Two-bedroom" is a compound adjective describing "apartment".
It was a last-minute decision.
Это было решение в последний момент.
"Last-minute" functions as a compound adjective.
She bought a brand-new car.
Она купила совершенно новую машину.
"Brand-new" is a compound adjective meaning completely new.
We need a long-term solution.
Нам нужно долгосрочное решение.
"Long-term" describes something intended to continue for a long period.
He gave us a five-page report.
Он дал нам отчет на пять страниц.
"Five-page" is a compound adjective; "page" remains singular inside the compound.
Many adjectives are formed from present and past participles.
Examples include interesting, bored, exciting and exhausted.
The movie was interesting.
Фильм был интересным.
"Interesting" describes something that causes interest.
I was interested in the movie.
Я заинтересовался фильмом.
"Interested" describes the person who experiences the feeling.
The game was exciting.
Игра была захватывающей.
"Exciting" describes something that causes excitement.
The fans were excited about the game.
Болельщики были в восторге от игры.
"Excited" describes the people who experienced the feeling.
The long meeting was exhausting.
Долгое собрание было утомительным.
"Exhausting" describes something that causes tiredness.
We were exhausted after the meeting.
Мы были совершенно уставшими после собрания.
"Exhausted" describes the people who felt extremely tired.
The instructions were confusing.
Инструкции были запутанными.
"Confusing" describes something that causes confusion.
I was confused by the instructions.
Я был сбит с толку инструкциями.
"Confused" describes the person experiencing confusion.
Some adjectives identify or limit nouns rather than describe their qualities.
Understanding this distinction helps explain why different adjective types behave differently.
The main problem is the cost.
Главная проблема — стоимость.
"Main" identifies which problem is meant rather than describing a physical quality.
The only solution is to start over.
Единственное решение — начать заново.
"Only" limits the noun "solution" to one possibility.
The first step is the easiest.
Первый шаг самый простой.
"First" identifies the step by position rather than describing a quality.
We need the same information from every department.
Нам нужна одна и та же информация от каждого отдела.
"Same" identifies the noun by comparison with something already known.
She lives in the central part of town.
Она живет в центральной части города.
"Central" identifies the location within a larger area.
They chose a beautiful house.
Они выбрали красивый дом.
"Beautiful" is descriptive because it expresses a quality.
This is a difficult problem.
Это сложная проблема.
"Difficult" describes a characteristic of the problem.
The previous owner left some furniture.
Предыдущий владелец оставил немного мебели.
"Previous" identifies the owner in relation to an earlier time.
Many adjectives belong to more than one grammatical or semantic category.
Modern grammar classifies adjectives according to both meaning and syntactic behavior.
This is a beautiful American painting.
Это красивая американская картина.
"Beautiful" is descriptive, while "American" is a proper adjective.
We stayed in a two-bedroom apartment.
Мы остановились в квартире с двумя спальнями.
"Two-bedroom" is a compound adjective functioning as a unit.
The exciting final game attracted many fans.
Захватывающий финальный матч привлек много болельщиков.
"Exciting" is a participial adjective, while "final" identifies the game by position.
Each student received a different answer sheet.
Каждый студент получил отдельный лист с ответами.
"Each" is distributive, while "different" is descriptive.
Which American restaurant would you recommend?
Какой американский ресторан ты бы порекомендовал?
"Which" is interrogative, while "American" is a proper adjective.
The well-known actor gave an interesting interview.
Известный актер дал интересное интервью.
"Well-known" is compound, while "interesting" is participial.
The main entrance is on the other side of the building.
Главный вход находится с другой стороны здания.
"Main" has a limiting or identifying function, while "other" identifies a contrastive location.
Every available seat was taken.
Все доступные места были заняты.
"Every" is distributive, while "available" describes the seats by their current status.
Identify adjective types according to their grammatical function rather than memorizing lists.
Common mistakes include confusing adjectives with pronouns or determiners and misidentifying participial adjectives.
Each student has a textbook.
У каждого студента есть учебник.
"Each" functions before a noun here; it is a distributive determiner rather than a descriptive adjective.
Which car do you want?
Какую машину ты хочешь?
"Which" modifies "car" in a question; it is not a descriptive adjective.
I was bored during the lecture.
Мне было скучно во время лекции.
"Bored" describes the person experiencing the feeling.
The lecture was boring.
Лекция была скучной.
"Boring" describes something that causes boredom.
She bought an American car.
Она купила американскую машину.
"American" is a proper adjective and is capitalized.
He works for a well-known company.
Он работает в известной компании.
"Well-known" is a compound adjective and is normally hyphenated before the noun.
There are several empty seats.
Есть несколько свободных мест.
"Several" is quantitative rather than a purely descriptive adjective.
The main entrance is on the left.
Главный вход находится слева.
"Main" identifies which entrance is meant rather than describing its physical quality.