Question 1

Why do we use the word чем here instead of just putting the second noun in the Genitive case?

Accepted Answer

You can often use the Genitive case for simple comparisons in Russian, but using чем (than) is strictly required when you form a comparison using the words менее (less) or более (more). When you use чем, the second item (тот новый велосипед) takes the exact same case as the first item (Этот старый мотоцикл) - which is the Nominative case here.

Question 2

How does the word менее work to mean "less reliable"?

Accepted Answer

менее simply means "less". To make a "less" comparison, you just put менее in front of the standard adjective (надёжный). The word менее never changes its shape, and the adjective after it stays in its normal full form, matching the gender and case of the noun it describes.

Question 3

What is the difference between Этот and тот in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Этот means "this" (something close to you), while тот means "that" (something further away). Both are in their masculine forms to match мотоцикл and велосипед. Using them together in one sentence is a great way to point out and contrast two different objects.

Question 4

Why do старый, надёжный, and новый all have the exact same -ый ending?

Accepted Answer

They are all standard masculine singular adjectives describing the nouns in the sentence. Because we are using чем for the comparison, both halves of the sentence stay in the Nominative case, meaning all the adjectives keep their basic dictionary endings.

Этот старый мотоцикл менее надёжный, чем тот новый велосипед.

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