Skromnyy and skromen: the long and the short form
Words about character have two shapes. The long one, on skromnyy, speaks of a standing property. The short one, on skromen, speaks of this once: modest today, outspoken tomorrow. For example: “Отец сегодня особенно рассеян” — Father is particularly absent-minded today. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Words about character have two shapes. The long one, on skromnyy, speaks of a standing property. The short one, on skromen, speaks of this once: modest today, outspoken tomorrow.
The short form bends by gender. He has an empty tail: skromen, nadyozhen, rasseyan. She takes -a: skromna, rasseyanna. It takes -o: skromno, nadyozhno.
Watch where the stress goes: in the short feminine form it often pulls to the end — skromna — but each word keeps its own: rasseyanna, nadyozhna. Same shape, different sound.
In living talk the short form loves verdicts and people: on prav, ona dobra, rebyonok upryam. Both forms are right; what differs is how long you have known the word.
Table
| he | she | it | they |
|---|---|---|---|
| skromen | skromna | skromno | skromny |
| nadyozhen | nadyozhna | nadyozhno | nadyozhny |
| rasseyan | rasseyanna | rasseyanno | rasseyany |
| terpeliv | terpeliva | terpelivo | terpelivy |
By example
- Отец сегодня особенно рассеянOtets segodnya osobenno rasseyanFather is particularly absent-minded today
- Она очень скромнаOna ochen skromnaShe is very modest
- Ребёнок упрям, но добрRebyonok upryam, no dobrThe child is stubborn but kind
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Skromen vs skromnyy?
Words about character have two shapes. The long one, on skromnyy, speaks of a standing property. The short one, on skromen, speaks of this once: modest today, outspoken tomorrow.
The short form of adjectives in Russian?
Words about character have two shapes. The long one, on skromnyy, speaks of a standing property. The short one, on skromen, speaks of this once: modest today, outspoken tomorrow.
Why ona skromna?
In living talk the short form loves verdicts and people: on prav, ona dobra, rebyonok upryam. Both forms are right; what differs is how long you have known the word.
Stress moving to the end of the word?
Watch where the stress goes: in the short feminine form it often pulls to the end — skromna — but each word keeps its own: rasseyanna, nadyozhna. Same shape, different sound.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Отец сегодня особенно рассеян” (Otets segodnya osobenno rasseyan) — Father is particularly absent-minded today. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.