Russian Antonyms (антонимы)
Following the introduction on adjectives, where it was suggested to practice them with opposites or antonyms (in Russian антонимы). They weren’t provided then and there, but here they are now.
Negation
Often, if you don’t know the antonym of an adjective, it’s not a big problem. Just add не (not) in front of it, and you’re done. This is similar to the English prefixes “un-” or “in-”: unattractive, unwise, etc. (see The prefixes on-, non-, in- and a-; not- for Dutch grammar). These forms, though, tend to be softer or milder than their antonyms—like “unwise” and “stupid” may mean the same but still sound different.
You can also use не to form negative sentences, adverbs (где = where, негде = nowhere), and more. See the following videos for the differences between не and ни, and between не and нет.
- НЕТ, НЕ и НИ + Винительный или Родительный падеж? (О русском по-русски, 2020, 16 mins)
- Negative Pronouns and Adverbs: НЕ-words (Amazing Russian, 2019, 13 mins), from the same channel Negative Pronouns and Adverbs: НИ-words (2019, 13 mins)
- Difference between НЕТ and НЕ (Live Russian, 2019, 5 mins)
- Negative sentences in Russian | Drill & Practice (Maria Petrova, 2019, 7 mins)
- Ни vs Не | Compare ’n Contrast (Be fluent in Russian, 2017, 9 mins)
Vocabulary
Now, onto the antonyms themselves. Here’s a list of common ones. (There are, of course, many more. Entire dictionaries are available.)
- богатый (rich) – бедный (poor)
- большой (big) – маленький (small)
- быстрый (fast) – медленный (slow)
- высокий (high/tall) – низкий (low)
- глупый (stupid) – умный (smart)
- громкий (loud) – тихий (quiet)
- грустный (sad) – весёлый (cheerful)
- грязный (dirty) – чистый (clean)
- дешёвый (cheap) – дорогой (expensive)
- дикий (wild) – домашний (domestic)
- длинный (long) – короткий (short)
- жадный (greedy) – щедрый (generous)
- злой (mean) – добрый (kind, friendly)
- левый (left) – правый (right)
- лёгкий (light, easy) – тяжёлый (heavy), трудный (difficult)
- можно (allowed, possible) – нельзя (forbidden, impossible)
- мужской (male) – женский (female)
- мягкий (soft) – твёрдый (hard)
- ночной (night) – дневной (day)
- отзывчивый (caring) – равнодушный (indifferent)
- первый (first) – последний (last)
- плохой (bad) – хороший (good)
- прекрасный (wonderful) – ужасный (terrible)
- простой (simple) – сложный (complex)
- ранний (early) – поздний (late)
- сильный (strong) – слабый (weak)
- скучный (boring) – интересный (interesting)
- сладкий (sweet) – горький (bitter)
- старый (old) – новый (new), молодой (young)
- тёмный (dark) – светлый (light)
- толстый (fat) – тонкий, худой (thin, slim)
- холодный (cold) – тёплый (warm), горячий (hot)
- храбрый (brave) – трусливый (cowardly)
More adjectives with their antonyms in Топ 100 популярные русские прилагательные с примерами (РКИ для всех, 2018, 6 mins).
In Прилагательные с антонимами (русский с носителем, 2017), Elen Sheff uses them in sentences. In two parts.
Final touch: antonyms in Russian sign language, in Русский жестовый язык. Антонимы (Енох Иаредович, 2017, 4 mins). Don’t worry, your sound is fine.
More
- Русский язык 2 класс - Что такое антонимы? (LiameloN Animation, 2020, 7 mins)
- Антонимы. Русский язык (Уроки детям, 2020, 3 mins)
- Синонимы и антонимы (Русский язык с Таней Ключ, 2019, 2 mins)
- Что такое антонимы? (Вопрос Ответ, 2018, 2 mins)
- Adjectives Antonyms in Russian & English (Russian with Tatiana, 2017, 8 mins)
- Омонимы. Синонимы. Антонимы (InternetUrok, 2016, 6 mins)
- Синонимы, антонимы, омонимы (Образование, 2016, 4 mins)
- Учим антонимы (Канал для детей Развивайка, 2015, 2 mins)
- Антонимы и синонимы (Шишкина школа, 2014, 7 mins)
- Russian Vocabulary - Antonyms (Антонимы) (Natalia Worthington, 2013, 5 mins)
See Что такое антонимы в русском языке? Примеры слов (Russkiiyazyk.ru). Also, try a small Exercise: Synonyms and Antonyms (Master Russian).
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