Зимой вода холоднее, чем летом.

In winter the water is colder than in summer.

Breakdown of Зимой вода холоднее, чем летом.

• вода: the water
• чем: than
• летом: in summer
• зимой: in winter

Questions & Answers about Зимой вода холоднее, чем летом.

Why is there no word for is in the Russian sentence?

Russian normally omits the present‑tense verb “to be” (быть) in sentences like this.

So instead of saying something like Зимой вода есть холоднее, Russian just says Зимой вода холоднее. The adjective (or comparative) холоднее itself works as the predicate, so you understand “water is colder” without an explicit is.

In the past or future, Russian does use a form of быть:

• Зимой вода была холоднее. – In winter the water was colder.
• Зимой вода будет холоднее. – In winter the water will be colder.

What are зимой and летом grammatically? Why do they end in -ой and -ом?