Этот фильм скучный.

This movie is boring.

Breakdown of Этот фильм скучный.

• фильм: the movie
• этот: this
• скучный: boring

Questions & Answers about Этот фильм скучный.

Why do we say этот, not это, эта, or эти here?

In Russian, words like этот / эта / это / эти (this / these) must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• фильм is:
  • masculine
  • singular
  • nominative case (it is the subject)

So you need the masculine, singular, nominative form:

• этот фильм = this film

The other forms are used with different kinds of nouns:

• эта – feminine singular (e.g. эта книга – this book)
• это – neuter singular (e.g. это место – this place)
• эти – plural (e.g. эти фильмы – these films)

Where is the verb “is” in this Russian sentence?

Russian normally omits the verb “to be” in the present tense.

So:

• Этот фильм скучный.
  literally: This film boring.
  meaning: This film is boring.

There is a verb быть (“to be”), and its present form есть exists, but in modern speech it is almost always left out in such sentences. You would not normally say:

• Этот фильм есть скучный. – this sounds wrong or very unnatural.

What’s the difference between скучный and скучно?

• скучный is an adjective. It agrees with a noun and describes a thing’s quality:

  • скучный фильм – a boring film
  • Этот фильм скучный. – This film is boring.

• скучно is a predicative adverb-like form; it usually describes someone’s feeling or the general atmosphere:

  • Мне скучно. – I am bored. (literally “To me it is boring.”)
  • Здесь скучно. – It’s boring here.

So:

• Фильм скучный. – The film itself is boring (its quality).
• Мне скучно. – I feel bored (my state).

Can I say Этот фильм скучно?

No, that is ungrammatical.

• Этот фильм – masculine singular noun phrase
• It needs a masculine singular adjective: скучный
• скучно does not agree with фильм; it is used more like “it’s boring”/“I’m bored”:

Correct options:

• Этот фильм скучный. – This film is boring.
• Мне скучно из‑за этого фильма. – I’m bored because of this film.

But Этот фильм скучно is wrong because the forms don’t match.

Can I change the word order, like Фильм скучный or Скучный фильм? Do they mean the same thing?

The basic neutral description can appear in a few ways:

1. Этот фильм скучный. – This film is boring.
   Neutral, very common.

2. Фильм скучный. – The film is boring.
   Also neutral; you just didn’t specify “this”.

3. Скучный фильм.
   On its own, it sounds like an exclamation or a short comment:
   “(What) a boring film.”
   In a longer sentence, it’s just an attribute:

   • Мы посмотрели скучный фильм. – We watched a boring film.

4. Скучный этот фильм.
   Possible, but marked and expressive; often sounds like complaining or emphasizing your annoyance:

   • Roughly: “That film sure is boring.”

So word order can change the emphasis or style, but Этот фильм скучный and Фильм скучный are closest in meaning and tone.

What case is фильм in, and why?

Фильм here is in the nominative singular:

• It is the subject of the sentence: (Этот) фильм is what we’re talking about.
• The nominative is the basic dictionary form.

For reference, here is the full declension of фильм (masculine, inanimate):

• Nominative: фильм – (Этот) фильм скучный. – The film is boring.
• Genitive: фильма – концовка фильма – the ending of the film
• Dative: фильму – к фильму – to the film
• Accusative: фильм – смотреть фильм – to watch a film
• Instrumental: фильмом – доволен фильмом – (he is) satisfied with the film
• Prepositional: о фильме – говорить о фильме – to talk about the film

How do I say “That film is boring”, and what is the difference between этот and тот?

That film is boring in Russian:

• Тот фильм скучный.

Difference:

• этот – this, something close to the speaker in space, time, or context.
• тот – that, something farther away or more distant in time/context, or something already mentioned and contrasted with a new thing.

Examples:

• Этот фильм скучный, а тот интересный.
  This film is boring, but that one is interesting.

So этот фильм = this film, тот фильм = that film.

How would this sentence change in the plural, like “These films are boring”?

You must change every word to the plural:

• Этот фильм скучный. – This film is boring.
• Эти фильмы скучные. – These films are boring.

Breakdown:

• этот → эти (this → these)
• фильм → фильмы (film → films)
• скучный → скучные (boring → boring, plural)

All three must agree: plural, nominative.

Is there any difference between Фильм скучный and Фильм скучен?

Yes.

• Фильм скучный.

  • Uses the full adjective form.
  • This is the most common, neutral way to say it in modern Russian.
  • Describes a general quality: the film is (by nature) boring.

• Фильм скучен.

  • Uses the short adjective form (скучен).
  • Sounds more literary, formal, or stylistically marked.
  • Often emphasizes a state or assessment rather than a stable characteristic.

In everyday spoken Russian, you will mostly hear:

• Фильм скучный.

Фильм скучен. you’ll more often see in books, reviews, or careful speech.

How do you pronounce скучный, and where is the stress?

• The stress is on the first syllable: ску́чный.
• Typical pronunciation is close to: [ˈску́шный].

Details:

• The written чн in скучный is usually pronounced like шн:
  • ску́ш-ный, not ску́ч-ный in normal speech.
• Final -ый is pronounced approximately [ый] (a hard y sound, not like English ee).

So, Этот фильм ску́чный sounds roughly like:

• [ˈэ́тат фʲильм ˈску́шный].