Asking "How" with Как
To ask how an action is performed, use the question word как (how).
| How do you speak Russian? | Как ты говоришь по-русски? |
Adverbs of Manner and Degree
Most Russian adverbs of manner end in -о (like хорошо for "well" or тихо for "quietly"). Unlike adjectives, adverbs never change their form—they have no gender or plural endings.
To intensify an adverb, place очень (very) directly before it.
| I speak Russian very well. | Я говорю по-русски очень хорошо. |
| My brother reads very slowly and quietly. | Мой брат читает очень медленно и тихо. |
Adverbs can be placed either before or after the verb they describe.
| How is your sister writing this text? Well? | Как твоя сестра пишет этот текст? Хорошо? |
Describing Actions
Common adverbs of manner include ясно (clearly), громко (loudly), внимательно (carefully), and отлично (excellently).
| The teacher speaks clearly and loudly. | Учитель говорит ясно и громко. |
| This student always listens carefully and understands perfectly. | Этот студент всегда внимательно слушает и отлично понимает. |
Contrasting Actions
When contrasting how two subjects perform actions, use the conjunction а (meaning "but" or "whereas"). This is especially useful for pairing opposite adverbs like красиво (beautifully) and плохо (badly), or быстро (fast) and медленно (slowly).
| My mom plays beautifully, but dad plays poorly. | Моя мама играет красиво, а папа — плохо. |
| You work fast, but he works slowly. | Ты работаешь быстро, а он — медленно. |
| I speak Russian poorly, and you speak excellently. | Я говорю по-русски плохо, а ты говоришь отлично. |
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