Predicative adverbs

There is a peculiar group of Russian adverbs which are used as the predicate in impersonal  sentences. Such adverbs are called predicative.

 

Сегодня холодно.

It is cold today.

 

В комнате светло и чисто.

It is light and clean in the room.

 

Детям  весело.

The children are gay.

 

Нужно закончить работу.

The work must be finished.

 

Predicative adverbs may denote a person's state or feelings:

Мне холодно.

I am cold.

 

Детям весело.

The children are gay.

 

Нам жаль расставиться.

We are sorry to part.

 

Ему лень приниматься за работу.

He is too lazy to set down to work.

 

Here are the commonly used adverbs:

тепло (one is) warm                

жарко (one is) hot                   

холодно (one is) cold

больно (one) feels a pain        

весело (one is) gay                 

радостно (one is) glad

скучно (one is) bored             

грустно (one is) sad                

интересно (it is) interesting

трудно (it is) difficult

легко (it is) easy                      

смешно (it is) funny

стыдно (one is) ashamed        

обидно (one is) offended        

досадно (one is) annoyed

приятно (it is) pleasant                       

лень (one is) too lazy              

жаль (жалко) (one is) sorry etc.

 

Predicative adverbs may denote the state of nature or of the surrounding medium:

В комнате светло, тепло и уютно.

It is light, warm and cosy in the room.

 

На дворе уже темно.

It is already dark outside.

 

В классе было тесно, душно и шумно.

The class was crowded and it was stuffy and noisy there.

 

Following are the other adverbs used with this meaning.

Such adverbs include:

 

душно (it is) stuffy,

жарко (it is) hot,

морозно (it) freezes,

плохо (it is) bad,

просторно (there is) much room,

про­хладно (it is) cool,

пусто (to be) empty,

светло (it is) light,

свободно (there is) plenty of room,

солнечно (it is) sunny,

темно (it is) dark,

тепло (it is) warm,

тесно (to be) crowded,

тихо (it is) quiet,

холодно (it is) cold,

хорошо (it is) good, etc.

шумно (it is) noisy,

 

Predicative adverbs may denote the necessity, possibility or impossibility of an action:

Нужно написать письмо.

It is necessary to write a letter.

Телеграмму  необходимо отправить сегодня.

The telegram must be sent today.

 

Other commonly used adverbs in this context are:

нужно (надо) (it is) necessary, must

необходимо (it is) necessary, must

обязательно must

можно (it is) possible, may

нельзя (one is) not allowed

невозможно (it is) im­possible, etc.

 

Predicative adverbs may denote the time of an action:

Уже пора спать.

It is already too late to go bed.

 

Мне пора идти домой.

It is time for me to go home.

 

Other adverbs used in this meaning are:

рано (it is) early                                              

поздно (it is) late                    

nopа (it is) time                                                

время (it is) time

 

The nouns or pronouns standing for the person who experiences the state denoted by a predicative adverb invariably take the dative.

Мне холодно.

I am cold.

Ребенку весело.

The child is gay.

 

The present tense predicative adverbs are used without a link verb:

Сегодня холодно.

It is cold today.

В комнате светло.

It is light in the room.

 

To express the past or future tense, the link verb быть is used. In the past tense, the link verb быть takes the neuter:

Вчера было холодно.           

It was cold yesterday.

В комнате было светло.       

It was light in the room.

 

In the future tense, the link verb быть takes  the 3rd person singular:
Завтра будет холодно.          

It will be cold tomorrow.

 

Occasionally the verbs становиться – стать (to become, to get ), казаться (to seem, etc). are used as a link verb:

Стало холодно.         

It has become cold.

Станбвится тепло.   

It is getting warm.

 

The verb used with a predicative adverb takes the infinitive:

Мне нужно купить лекарсто.    

I must buy medicine.

В университет можно идти пешком.   

It is possible to reach the university on foot.

 

The object of the predicative adverbs takes either the accusative or the genitive:

Кого вам нужно?

Who do you want to see?

 

Мне нужно декана (асе).

I want to see the dean.

 

В окно мне видно улицу. (асе.)

Out of the window I can see the street.

 

Мне жаль потерянного времени. (gen.)

I am sorry for the time lost.

 

The adverbs used in this context are:

 

нужно (it is) necessary, to need, must

слышно (is) heard

видно (is) seen

жаль (to be) sorry, (it is) a pity

 

Predicative adverbs ending in -o have degrees of comparison.

Comparative:

В лесу теплее, чем в поле.

It is warmer in the wood than in the field.

 

Сегодня  холоднее, чем вчера .

It is colder today than it was yesterday.

 

Superlative:

Ему было веселее всех.

He felt gayest of all.

 

Холоднее всего было в поле.

It was coldest of all in the field.

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