Learn Russian: Это самый опытный врач. - This is the most experienced doctor.

Это самый опытный врач.

This is the most experienced doctor.

Breakdown of Это самый опытный врач.

Questions & Answers about Это самый опытный врач.

How does самый work in this sentence to mean 'the most'?

Самый is used with an adjective to form the superlative degree, meaning 'the most'. It acts like a regular adjective, so it must match the gender, number, and case of the noun it describes. Since врач is a masculine, nominative noun, both самый and опытный take the masculine endings (-ый).

Why do we use the neuter word Это when врач is a masculine noun?

When you introduce someone or something with the phrase 'This is...', you always use the fixed form Это, no matter the gender of the noun. You would only use the masculine Этот if it were directly attached to the noun, as in Этот врач самый опытный (This doctor is the most experienced).

Does the adjective опытный come from another Russian word?

Yes, it is built from the noun опыт, which means 'experience'. Adding the standard adjective ending -ный turns it into опытный (experienced).

Can I change the word order and put самый after the adjective?

No, just like the phrase 'the most' in English, самый must come directly before the adjective it modifies. The order самый опытный врач is strict here.