The proper word for photograph in Russian is фотография, a perfectly regular second-declension noun:

Here are some sample sentences:

But of course фотография is a long word. Brevity is the soul of wit. Can't we replace it with something shorter? You bet. The Russians have come up with фотка and фото. Both are quite informal. The former is a perfectly predictable word that declines just like взятка. The latter is an indeclinable noun:

English is interesting in terms of comparatives. Sometimes you can use a comparative with -er, but you can't use a comparative with “more.” Thus “cuter” is okay, but “more cute” is not. We call the -er form the simple comparative. Sometimes the “more” form is okay, but the “-er” form is not. Thus “My life is more interesting than yours” is okay, but “My life is interestinger than yours” is not. When you use “more” with an adjective, we call that the compound comparative. Russian also has both simple and compound comparatives. The word used for compound comparatives is более. The более form is almost always acceptable in Russian:

Note: Задача really means assignment or taks, but in certain contexts like арифметическаая задача it can mean the equivalent of equation. The normal word for equation is уравнение.

The word юбилей means anniversary, an entirely fitting word since today is the first anniversary of the existence of Russian Word of the Day. The word applies to birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the commemoration of revolutions, and the observance of pretty well any other notable event. It can also mean the party held on those days, and thus it may be translated as birthday party, anniversary party, or celebration. Here are some sample sentences:

For Russian Word of the Day this anniversary is a joy. Over the last year we have provided over two hundred fifty posts discussing Russian vocabulary. For us generally monolingual Americans, the success of such a blog suggests hope for the future. People who are willing to learn each others' languages and consider each others' points of view are the key to deepening our understanding of each other. With that goal in mind, let us all consciously adopt attitudes of lightness and humor toward ourselves at the same time as we adopt attitudes of curiosity and patience toward those we don't know.

Warmest wishes to all the children of Earth,

Donald E. Livingston, Jr.

Another word that means bigger is больше. In this meaning it is what we call a comparative adjective:

Just as with other comparative sentences, if чем is followed by a simple noun phrase in the nominative case, you can make an equivalent phrase without чем by putting the noun in the genitive. Thus the second and third sentences from above can be rephrased as:

One thing you can't do with больше is to make a sentence like “John lives in a bigger house than Victor.” When “bigger” directly modifies a noun, Russians have to use either «больший» or «более большой», thus:

Больше has other meanings as well. We will explore them over the next couple weekds.

Now here's a subtle detail of the Russian language. It's one that will trip you up at first when you start reading Russian if you aren't paying attention. Although большой means big, there is another word больший that means bigger, greater, or larger. Since Russians don't usually write stress marks, the presence of о or е after the ш is often the only written indication of which meaning is implied. Больший declines like this:

Sample sentences:

As part of your Russian reading strategy in your early years, you might want to pause when you come across большой and больший. If you spot a е after the ш, then remind yourself that it means “bigger.” That helps in the singular of most forms. Alas, only context can tell you which one the author had in mind in the plural.