Learn Russian: Еда уже готова. - The food is already ready.

Готова is a short-form adjective. We use short forms like готов, занят (busy), or болен (sick) to describe a temporary state or a result at this exact moment. The food was not ready before, but it is now. Long-form adjectives like готовая are usually used for permanent qualities.

Why does готова end in -а?

Short-form adjectives still have to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because еда (food) is a feminine word, the short adjective takes the feminine ending -а. If we were talking about soup (суп, masculine), it would be Суп уже готов.

Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?

In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' (am/is/are) is almost always left out. So, Еда уже готова literally translates to 'Food already ready'.

Can I put уже at the end of the sentence, like Еда готова уже?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible. However, placing уже (already) right before the word it emphasizes (готова) is the most natural and common way to say this. Putting it at the end adds a stronger, almost impatient emphasis.