# Comparative Adjectives: ending  -ей vs -ее



## PorFavorDama

_Hi everyone! _

I have been studying Russian for one month or a bit more, I have a question about comperatives.
In the book, it says _we can use "-ее" or "-ей" to make an adjactive comperative._
But is there any rule to decide which one to use? or can we use both in any situation?
*
For example*, book says : _we can use "красивее" and "красивей"_ . Is there any difference between both?
Can you please explain me a bit?

_Thank you so much! срасибо!_


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## Maroseika

Forms on -ее are basic forms, forms on -ей in some cases sound more colloquial. This is the only difference.


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## PorFavorDama

Maroseika said:


> Forms on -ее are basic forms, forms on -ей in some cases sound more colloquial. This is the only difference.



Thank you so much! So it doesn't have anything special


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## Rosett

На мой взгляд, в устной речи выбор формы диктуется благозвучием, а иногда - и рифмой.


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## PorFavorDama

Rosett said:


> На мой взгляд, в устной речи выбор формы диктуется благозвучием, а иногда - и рифмой.



Thank you but I am not able to understand this, yet


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## Rosett

PorFavorDama said:


> Thank you but I am not able to understand this, yet


In spoken language, euphony may influence the choice between two forms, sometimes allowing for a rhyme.
Example: "Ты, царица, всех милее, всех румяней и белее." (А.С.Пушкин)


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## PorFavorDama

Rosett said:


> In spoken language, euphony may influence the choice between two forms, sometimes allowing for a rhyme.
> Example: "Ты, царица, всех милее, всех румяней и белее." (А.С.Пушкин)



So I think, it is just a matter of memorizing. Thank you


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## Sobakus

PorFavorDama said:


> So I think, it is just a matter of memorizing. Thank you


But that's the point: there's nothing to memorise, except maybe for "stick to -ее in formal written style".


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## PorFavorDama

Sobakus said:


> But that's the point: there's nothing to memorise, except maybe for "stick to -ее in formal written style".



It is maybe because you are used to the rhyme of the words so that it is not a matter of memorizing for you because when someone uses it, it sounds unnatural for you, as it is in Turkish for me?


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## Sobakus

PorFavorDama said:


> It is maybe because you are used to the rhyme of the words so that it is not a matter of memorizing for you because when someone uses it, it sounds unnatural for you, as it is in Turkish for me?


*Rosett* means the literal, poetic rhyme – the one that's required to create poetic verse. When you need to rhyme a word ending in -е, you use the form -ее. When the verse's metre requires 3 syllables, you use the form румяней because it has 3 syllables as opposed to the 4 of румянее. That's all there is to it.


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## PorFavorDama

Sobakus said:


> *Rosett* means the literal, poetic rhyme – the one that's required to create poetic verse. When you need to rhyme a word ending in -е, you use the form -ее. When the verse's metre requires 3 syllables, you use the form румяней because it has 3 syllables as opposed to the 4 of румянее. That's all there is to it.



Sorry I mean "the euphony". I thought they were same, weren't they ? Like, when someone uses a different suffix, you can notice it because it sounds unnatural to you, I mean to the native Russian speakers like yourself.


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## Sobakus

PorFavorDama said:


> Sorry I mean "the euphony". I thought they were same, weren't they ? Like, when someone uses a different suffix, you can notice it because it sounds unnatural to you, I mean to the native Russian speakers like yourself.


Euphony is the quality of being aesthetically pleasing to the ear, it has nothing to do with grammar. Rhyme is the quality of sounds of speech having the same or similar sound frequency, especially at the end of the word – it has nothing to do with grammar either. In fact, you can easily make wrong grammar rhyme and sound euphonic, and that's what some bad songwriters do.  You can even do the same to complete gibberish.


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## PorFavorDama

Sobakus said:


> Euphony is the quality of being aesthetically pleasing to the ear, it has nothing to do with grammar. Rhyme is the quality of sounds of speech having the same or similar sound frequency, especially at the end of the word – it has nothing to do with grammar either. In fact, you can easily make wrong grammar rhyme and sound euphonic, and that's what some songwriters do.  You can even do the same to complete gibberish.



Thanks for information! But I am really getting lost between these suffixes ahaha, so when to use "-ее" and "-ей"? 
Can you give me some simple examples usages of these words please ?


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## Sobakus

PorFavorDama said:


> Thanks for information! But I am really getting lost between these suffixes ahaha, so when to use "-ее" and "-ей"?
> Can you give me some simple examples usages of these words please ?


I can only quote *Maroseika*'s post:


Maroseika said:


> Forms on -ее are basic forms, forms on -ей in some cases sound more colloquial. This is the only difference.


There's nothing more to it than that: -ее is the ordinary one, -ей is the sometimes stylistically marked one. Pick the one you like.


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## PorFavorDama

Sobakus said:


> I can only quote *Maroseika*'s post:
> 
> There's nothing more to it than that: -ее is the ordinary one, -ей is the sometimes stylistically marked one. Pick the one you like.



So by the time, I will get used to it. Thank you!


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## Rosett

PorFavorDama said:


> Thanks for information! But I am really getting lost between these suffixes ahaha, so when to use "-ее" and "-ей"?
> Can you give me some simple examples usages of these words please ?


"-ей" may be of preference when used with negation, or if followed by a vowel (euphony), or if you feel you need to add more expression or to follow the rhythm of your speech:
"Россия, Россия - нет слова красивей, нет слова родней и милей".
"Она меня красивей, и косы длинней моих".
«Мужчина должен быть чуть красивей обезьяны».


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## PorFavorDama

Rosett said:


> "-ей" may be of preference when used with negation, or if followed by a vowel (euphony), or if you feel you need to add more expression or to follow the rhythm of your speech:
> "Россия, Россия - нет слова красивей, нет слова родней и милей".
> "Она меня красивей, и косы длинней моих".
> «Мужчина должен быть чуть красивей обезьяны».


Thank you so much for the examples, It is getting clearer by the time


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