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Russian grammar

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Russian Short Adjectives: рад, готов, должен and нужен

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

A short adjective is a long one with the ending cut off: (ready) gives , I'm ready. It agrees with the subject in gender and number, never changes for case, and only ever comes after the subject. A handful of everyday words exist only in this form.

Quick check

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The ending is coloured by the subject's gender, the same colours as Russian noun gender:

masculinefeminineneuterpluralWhat do the colours mean?
Subjectreadygladmust
he, я (man)
she
it-
they, ,

Said, in Latin letters: ga-TOF, ga-TO-va, ga-TO-vy; rat, RA-da, RA-dy; DOL-zhen, dalzh-NA, dalzh-NY.

  • . - I'm ready. (a man speaking)
  • . - I'm glad. (a woman speaking)
  • . - Everything's ready.
  • . - We have to go.

How a short form is made

Take the long form and cut off its ending. The masculine has no ending at all; the others add -а, -о, -ы:

готовый (ready) gives готов, готова

When the masculine would end in two consonants, a vowel slips in, and it drops out again once an ending is added:

MasculineFeminineEnglish
must
needed
agreed
  • . - He has to go.
  • . - I agree. (a woman speaking)

Only after the subject

A short form is always the predicate: the thing said about the subject. It never sits in front of a noun, and it never changes for case:

  • . - I'm ready. (short, after the subject)
  • . - That's a ready-made answer. (long, before a noun)

Polite is grammatically plural, so its short form is always plural, even to one person:

  • . - You're right.
  • ? - Are you ready?

The ones that are only short

A few everyday words have no long form in the meaning you want, so learn them as short forms from the start:

WordEnglishExample
glad ! - Glad to see you!
must . - I have to go. (a woman)
right . - You're right. (to a man)

(needed) is the odd one: it agrees with the thing needed, and the person who needs it goes in the dative:

  • . - I need a phone.
  • . - I need a car.
  • . - I need to go.

Long or short?

For most adjectives the long form also works after the subject, and in everyday speech it is often the more natural one:

  • . - The house is big.

A few size words change meaning in the short form and say too:

  • малы́. - These shoes are too small for me.

Short forms in -о: тепло, хорошо, отлично

The neuter short form doubles as an adverb, and on its own it describes the weather, a feeling or a situation:

RussianEnglish
.It's warm today.
.I'm cold.
.Everything's fine.
!Excellent!

There is no subject to agree with, so the neuter is the default. Russian impersonal sentences explains the in .

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. (a woman) .agrees with the speaker
. . is always plural
радый has no long form
. . agrees with the thing needed
. .a feeling: dative and -о

What to do next

Simple short forms such as and are on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Russian specification at Foundation and Higher tier; the other short adjectives, including and , at Higher tier only.

  1. Say , and in all forms that apply to you, then to a friend.
  2. Practise until the plural is automatic.
  3. Do the drill below, then go back to Russian adjectives for the long forms.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Build the short form for the subject.

  1. Она ___ (ready)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  2. Мы ___ (must)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  3. Вы ___ (right, to one person)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  4. Всё ___ (ready)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

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Who could say it about themselves?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

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Tap the mistake.

Complete the story

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Choose the form that agrees with the speaker.

Ready to go

Борис: «Анна, ты ?» Анна: «Да, я . А ты?» Борис: «Я тоже. Мы идти.»

Gap 1 of 3

Translation drill

0/3

Watch who the short form agrees with.

  1. Я очень рад.

  2. Вы правы.

  3. Сегодня тепло.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a short adjective in Russian?
A shortened form of an adjective that only works after the subject, to say something about it: , I'm ready. It has four forms, for a masculine, feminine, neuter or plural subject (, , , ), and no case endings at all.
When do you use short adjectives in Russian?
Only as the predicate: after the subject, saying what it is like. You can never put one in front of a noun. For most adjectives the long form works there too ( ), but , and are always short in that position, and agrees with the thing needed.
How do you say I am glad in Russian?
if you are a man, if you are a woman, and for a group. has no long form in this meaning, so there is no радый to reach for.
How do you say must in Russian?
With the short adjective , which agrees with the subject: (a man), (a woman), (we). The verb after it stays in the infinitive.
Why is it and not to one person?
Because polite is grammatically plural, whoever it is said to. The short adjective agrees with the pronoun, not with the person, so it is always , , .