Questions & Answers about Мой вес ниже веса брата.
Where is the word for 'than' in this sentence?
In Russian, you can compare two things without using the word for 'than' (чем). Instead, you just put the second item into the Genitive case. Here, веса is the Genitive form of вес (weight), so ниже веса means 'lower than the weight'.
Why are there two words in the Genitive case right next to each other (веса брата)?
They are doing two different jobs! веса is Genitive because it comes right after the comparative word ниже to mean 'lower than the weight'. брата is in the Genitive case to show possession, meaning 'of the brother'. Strung together, they mean 'than the weight of the brother'.
Why use ниже here? Doesn't that mean 'shorter'?
ниже is the comparative form of низкий, which can mean 'low' or 'short' (for height). While you might learn it first as 'shorter' when comparing how tall people are, when talking about a number or measurement like weight, it translates perfectly as 'lower'.
Why isn't there a verb like 'is' in the Russian sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' (is, am, are) is almost always skipped. The sentence literally reads 'My weight lower', but it is completely natural and translates to 'My weight is lower'.
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