3. Adjectives

Miscellaneous Points

Adjectives formed from place-names are frequently just transliterated with their Russian adjectival endings (-sky, -skaya, -skoye) intact. This is incorrect; no such endings are necessary in English, as we can just put a place-name in front of a noun and all will be clear. If you don't know what the original place-name was, look it up!

♦ Карагандинская область: the Karaganda region/oblast

Sometimes, however, an adjective may be a proper name in its own right, in which case it should, of course, be transliterated in full:

♦ Карагандинское пиво: Karagandinskoye beer

When translating вчерашний and сегодняшний, bear in mind that yesterday's and today's cannot be used with an article or possessive adjective.

• вчерашняя газета: yesterday's paper ("the yesterday's paper" is impossible)

• наш вчерашний разговор: our conversation yesterday (not "our yesterday's conversation")

• The superlative of well-known is best-known (not "most well-known").

English often requires possessives in cases where Russian finds them redundant:

• спасибо за помощь: thanks for your help

• дай мне руку: give me your hand ("give me a hand" = help me)

• Мы с сыновьями жили в горах, а супруга оставалась у родственников в городе.: I stayed in the mountains with my sons while my wife stayed with relatives in the city.

However, we do not use possessives in the following context:

• Компания открыла свое представительство в Казахстане: The company has opened a (not "its") representative office in Kazakhstan.

• Во всех регионах мы имеем свои филиалы: We have branches in all the regions.

See The Thorny Question of Nationality regarding the use of наш.

When translating ни одна, the word neither must be used if we are talking about two subjects; no/none of are used when there are three or more. This is quite a common mistake, because there are usually two parties to a contract:

♦ Ни одна Сторона: Neither Party shall... (No Party... only if three or more)

♦ Ни одна из этих стран: None of these countries... On no account write "no any"!!

Такой is used more frequently in Russian than "such" is in English; it sounds rather formal. Here are some more natural translations:

• Экономический потенциал такой хозяйственной деятельности...: The economic potential of this sort/kind of business...

• Такие программы или проекты, улучшающие окружающую среду... Programmes or projects like these, which are improving the environment...

• Такие слова, как...: words such as (more natural than "such words as...").

• Мне не доводилось играть с местными игроками. Я уверен, что в следующем году у меня появится такая возможность.: I haven't played with any local golfers yet. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity/chance to do so next year.

Adjectives Not Followed by Nouns

Adjectives cannot stand alone in English as they can in Russian. Sometimes we can follow them with one (as in "the red one"), but frequently, especially with adjectives that cannot be used predicatively (these often don't look like adjectives), we need to repeat the noun:

• год, следующий за отчётным: the year following/after the accounting year (not "the accounting one")

• инструменты, защитные средства и средства пожаротушения: tools, protective equipment and fire extinguishing equipment (not "tools and protective and fire extinguishing equipment"; it will not be clear what "protective" refers to)

This repetition does not sound cumbersome.

Occasionally the first noun is not necessary in English anyway, so it can happily go after the adjective without any repetition:

• Жезказганская область является пилотной.: Zhezkazgan is a pilot oblast (not "Zhezkazgan oblast is a pilot.").

• 1991 год был самым тяжелым для СССР.: 1991 was the most difficult year for the USSR.

Note that when we do use one, the noun has to come earlier in the sentence; otherwise no one will have any idea what one is referring to:

♦ необходимость принятия новых и изменения существующих законов: the need to pass new laws and amend existing ones (not "pass new and amend existing laws")

When Do Adjectives Go After the Noun?

The word below always follows the noun.

♦ нижеприведенная таблица: the table below

Concerned goes before the noun if it means "worried", after if it means "relevant":

• [Russian??]: concerned parents

• заинтересованные министерства и агентства: the ministries and agencies concerned (always with definite article)

Генеральный директор can be General Director (more usual in the UK) or Director General (common in the US). Kofi Annan is the Secretary-General of the UN -

surely a translation from French.

Usually present or past participles... [Need more on this!]

• все опрошенные больные: all the patients surveyed

• собранные данные: the data collected

• обсуждаемая сегодня государственная программа: the state programme being discussed today