Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| мно́го | mnógo |
| мно́гие | mnógije |
| мно́гий | mnógij |
The word is used to express an indefinite large number of something. For instance, мно́гое and мно́гие can function as pronouns meaning an indefinite large number of people or things. In formal contexts, Множество is used to refer to a large number, multitude or a mathematical set, while Обилие is used to describe an abundance or plenty.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on whether you are emphasizing quantity or individuals. Use мно́го when you want to say 'a large quantity of' (for example, 'many books' becomes мно́го книг). In contrast, use мно́гие when you want to emphasize 'many people' or 'many individuals' (for example, 'many people' becomes мно́гие люди).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form мно́го acts as an adverb or a quantifier used with nouns in the genitive plural. The form мно́гие functions as a pronoun and must agree in gender, number and case with the noun it modifies. Additionally, мно́гие can be used as a noun to mean a collective mass of people.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mnógo.
Did you know?
- In casual speech, Russians may replace мно́го with the word ку́ча ('a pile') to describe a large number of things or people.
- The word мно́го is an indeclinable numeral, meaning it never changes its ending regardless of the gender or case of the noun it describes.
- While English uses 'many' for countable things and 'much' for uncountable things, the Russian мно́го is a versatile tool that handles both mass and number.
Examples in context
- Мно́гие веду́щие брита́нские поли́тики изуча́ли филосо́фию, политоло́гию и эконо́мику в Оксфорде.Many leading British politicians studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford.This sentence is useful for seeing how мно́гие is used to describe a large group of people.Tatoeba #3234386 by Wayawa, translation #734492 by AlanF_US
- У него много друзей.He has many friends.
- В магазине много фруктов.There are many fruits in the store.
- Я видел множество интересных фильмов.I have seen many interesting movies.
- На вечеринке было множество гостей.There were many guests at the party.
- В этой стране есть обилие различных культур.This country has an abundance of different cultures.
- У меня есть очень много работы сегодня.I have a lot of work today.
- Там было куча народу на концерте.There were lots of people at the concert.
- В этой пицце куча мяса!There is a bunch of meat on this pizza!
- У нас полно времени, чтобы сделать все дела.We have plenty of time to get all the tasks done.
- На рынке можно купить полно свежих овощей и фруктов.You can buy a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits at the market.
- В этом городе мно́го парков.V etom gorode mnogo parkov.There are many parks in this city.
- У меня в сумке мно́го книг.U menya v sumke mnogo knig.I have many books in my bag.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Maria are at a bookstore.
- Дмитрий DmitryМа́рия, тут мно́го интере́сных кни́г.Mariya, tut mnogo interesnykh knig.Maria, there are many interesting books here.
- Мария MariaДа, я то́же это за́метила.Da, ya tozhe eto zametila.Yes, I noticed that too.
- Дмитрий DmitryТы хоче́шь купи́ть что́-нибудь?Ty khochesh kupit' chto-nibud'?Do you want to buy something?
- Мария MariaЯ посмотрю́ ещём немно́жко.Ya posmotryu eshchom nemnozhko.I'll look around a bit more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “many” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
