Потёртость очень маленькая.

little

Breakdown of Потёртость очень маленькая.

• очень: really
• потёртость: the scuff

Questions & Answers about Потёртость очень маленькая.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

Потёртость очень маленькая.
literally looks like: Scuff very small.
but it means: The scuff is very small.

This is completely normal Russian. English needs is here, but Russian usually does not.

What gender is потёртость, and how can I tell?

Потёртость is feminine.

A useful clue is the ending -ость. Many abstract nouns ending in -ость are feminine, for example:

• скорость = speed
• молодость = youth
• возможность = possibility

Also, the adjective маленькая is in the feminine form, which confirms that the noun is feminine.

Why does маленькая end in -ая?