Question 1

Why doesn't младше have a masculine ending to match пользователь?

Accepted Answer

младше is an irregular comparative form meaning "younger". When comparative adjectives are used at the end of a sentence like this to describe something, they are frozen in this single form. It stays младше whether you are talking about a man, a woman, or multiple people.

Question 2

What is the difference between младше and меньше?

Accepted Answer

младше specifically means "younger" (referring to age) and comes from the word молодой (young). меньше means "smaller" or "less" (referring to size or amount) and comes from маленький (small) or мало (little/few).

Question 3

Can I use младше to say an object, like a computer or a user account, is "younger"?

Accepted Answer

No, младше is generally used for the age of living things, like people or animals, or relationships (like a younger sister). If you want to say an object is "younger" in the sense of being more recently made, you should use новее (the comparative form of новый, meaning "new").

Question 4

The word пользователь ends in a soft sign (ь). How can I tell what gender it is?

Accepted Answer

The word этот gives it away! It is the masculine form of "this". Also, as a handy rule, Russian nouns ending in -тель are almost always masculine. This suffix is often used for people or things that perform an action, just like "-er" in English (for example, учитель is "teacher", and пользователь is "user").

Этот пользователь младше.

Breakdown of Этот пользователь младше.

Questions & Answers about Этот пользователь младше.

Learn Этот пользователь младше and more in Russian