Спортзал нового формата лучше, чем старый.

new

Breakdown of Спортзал нового формата лучше, чем старый.

• лучше: better
• старый: old
• чем: than

Questions & Answers about Спортзал нового формата лучше, чем старый.

Why is the phrase нового формата in the genitive case instead of being in the nominative?

In the phrase спортзал нового формата, нового формата functions as an attributive modifier describing спортзал—that is, “a gym of a new format.” In Russian, it’s common to use the genitive case in such fixed expressions to indicate a particular type, style, or quality of the noun. Thus, the genitive here shows that the gym is characterized by a “new format.”

Why does the second part of the sentence use just старый without repeating the noun?

The sentence employs ellipsis to avoid repetition. After чем, the noun спортзал is omitted because it’s clear from context that the comparison is with the gym mentioned earlier. The adjective старый remains in the nominative masculine singular to implicitly refer to спортзал (“the old gym”). This is a typical feature of Russian comparative constructions.

What role does the word чем play in this sentence?

The word чем is a comparative conjunction that translates to “than” in English. It connects the two parts of the sentence, setting up the comparison between the gym of the new format and the (implied) old gym.

How do the case endings differ in нового формата and старый, and why?