Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "former" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

прежний

Meaning: former, ex-

Pronunciation: [PRYEHZH-niy]

Part of speech: adjective

Rank: #577 (see frequency list)

People were completely different in former times.
Photo by exfordy CC-BY-2.0

Example sentences:

В прéжние временá лю́ди бы́ли совсéм други́е.
People were completely different in former times.
Мой прéжний начáльник был óчень стрóгим.
My ex-boss was very strict.
Нóвый ромáн горáздо лу́чше прéжних.
The new novel is much better than the former ones.
Ветерáны лю́бят вспоминáть свою́ прéжнюю слáву.
The veterans like to remember their former glory.
Комáнде удалócь вы́йти на прéжний у́ровень.
The team managed to achieve the former level.
literal The team managed to go out to the former level.
На дáнный момéнт сохраня́ется прéжний поря́док приëма в граждáнство.
At the moment the former procedure of citizenship admission is still in force.
literal At the moment the former procedure of citizenship admission is preserved.
Ну́жно дéйствовать с учëтом прéжних оши́бок.
One has to act taking into account one's former mistakes.
literal It's necessary to act taking into account one's former mistakes.
Инфля́ция растëт, а зарплáты остаю́тся прéжними.
The inflation is growing, and the salaries are still at the same level.
literal The inflation is growing, and the salaries remain the former ones.
Онá вы́сказалась в своéй прéжней манéре.
She said it in the way she used to do it.
literal She said it in the former manner.
На э́тих вы́борах россия́не голосу́ют акти́внее, чем на прéжних.
Russian citizens vote more actively in these elections as compared to the former ones.

Idioms and set expressions:

в прéжнее врéмя = in the old days
literal in former times
прéжняя суди́мость = previous conviction
прéжнее = the past

Related words:

по-прéжнему = still, as earlier
прóшлый = past, ex-
предыду́щий = previous
былóй = former

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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