When managing urgent tasks, you often need things done "as quickly as possible" or "as soon as possible." You can easily express this in Russian by pairing the phrase как можно with a comparative.
Maximizing Comparatives with "как можно"
To say "as [adverb/adjective] as possible," use the fixed phrase как можно (literally "how it is possible") followed immediately by a comparative adverb or adjective.
Common combinations for discussing time and speed include:
- как можно раньше (as early as possible)
- как можно быстрее (as quickly as possible)
- как можно скорее (as soon as possible)
| We will have to speed up this process to finish as early as possible. | Нам придётся ускорить этот процесс, чтобы закончить как можно раньше. |
| Try to simplify these formalities as quickly as possible. | Старайтесь упростить эти формальности как можно быстрее. |
| As for the costs, they need to be minimized as soon as possible. | Что касается затрат, то их нужно минимизировать как можно скорее. |
Optimizing Time and Tasks
When optimizing workflows, you will often use formal verbs ending in -ить or -овать to describe your strategy, such as ускорить (to speed up), упростить (to simplify), or делегировать (to delegate).
| Priority tasks must be delegated to colleagues in a timely manner. | Приоритетные задачи надо своевременно делегировать коллегам. |
| To speed up the project, we are automating all calculations. | Чтобы ускорить проект, мы автоматизируем все расчёты. |
Another very common way to emphasize urgency in formal Russian is using the superlative adjective кратчайший (shortest). You will frequently hear the phrase в кратчайший срок or its plural в кратчайшие сроки, which translates to "in the shortest time" or "in the shortest timeframe."
| shortest | кратчайший |
| You will have to delegate this work in the shortest time. | Вам придётся делегировать эту работу в кратчайший срок. |
It is entirely natural to combine these phrases for maximum emphasis, stressing both the shortest timeframe and the need for it to happen as soon as possible.
| The director wants to receive the report in the shortest time, as soon as possible. | Директор хочет получить отчёт в кратчайшие сроки, как можно скорее. |
