In a previous lesson, you learned how to say something is larger "by" a specific amount using на. But what if you want to state that something is "twice as large" or "three times as fast"?
To express these multiplicative differences, Russian uses the preposition в (by a factor of).
The Grammar Formula
The structure for multiplicative comparison is: в + number (in the accusative case) + раз(а) (times) + a comparative word (like больше, meaning larger, or выше, meaning higher).
When multiplying by 2, 3, or 4, the word for "times" takes the form раза:
- 2 times = в два раза
- 3 times = в три раза
- 4 times = в четыре раза
Let's see how this applies to business growth, such as the pace (темп) of work or production volume (объём).
| Our production is growing, and the pace of work became twice as high. | Наше производство растёт, и темп работы стал в два раза выше. |
| Demand for this product increased, so the production volume became three times larger. | Спрос на этот товар увеличился, поэтому объём производства стал в три раза больше. |
When a metric like a key indicator (показатель) drops, you use the exact same structure with a comparative like ниже (lower) or меньше (smaller/less).
| When demand decreased, our main indicator became four times lower. | Когда спрос снизился, наш главный показатель стал в четыре раза ниже. |
Five Times or More
For 5 and any number above it (like 10 or 100), the word for "times" changes to раз:
- 5 times = в пять раз
- 100 times = в сто раз
Here is how you might describe exceeding expected capacity (мощность) or a budget:
| Thanks to the new technology, the factory's capacity exceeds the old one: it is five times larger. | Благодаря новой технологии мощность завода превышает старую: она в пять раз больше. |
| The new budget exceeds the old one: it is a hundred times larger. | Новый бюджет превышает старый: он в сто раз больше. |
Putting It Together
You will frequently use these phrases side-by-side when comparing the scale (масштаб) and efficiency (эффективность) of different companies, products, or processes.
| The scale of the company is two times larger, and the efficiency is three times higher. | Масштаб компании в два раза больше, а эффективность в три раза выше. |