Adjectives: Comparatives and Superlatives

01

Making the Comparative

The regular ending is -ější or -ejší, and which of the two appears depends on the consonant before it. A large group of common adjectives takes the shorter -ší instead, often softening the stem.

• hlasitý - hlasitější (louder)
• přátelský - přátelštější (friendlier)
• mladý - mladší (younger)
• starý - starší (older)

• Mám dvě mladší sestry.

  I have two younger sisters.

• Lidé jsou přátelštější.

  People are friendlier.

02

The Irregular Ones

The commonest adjectives of all form their comparative from a different stem, as English does with good and better.

• dobrý - lepší (better)
• špatný - horší (worse)
• velký - větší (bigger)
• malý - menší (smaller)

• Jídlo je horší než v Itálii.

  The food is worse than in Italy.

• Francie je menší než Rusko.

  France is smaller than Russia.

03

The Superlative

Every superlative is its comparative with nej- welded to the front. There are no exceptions at all, so a comparative you know gives you the superlative free.

• lepší - nejlepší
• mladší - nejmladší

• Čtvrtá je nejmladší.

  The fourth one is the youngest.

• Je to nejlevnější nabídka.

  It's the cheapest offer.

04

Saying Than

The word for than is než, and the noun after it keeps whatever case it would have had on its own. It may also introduce a whole clause.

• Je tu tepleji než doma.

  It's warmer here than at home.

• Dovolená je lepší, než jsem čekal.

  The holiday is better than I expected.

05

By How Much

Mnohem in front of a comparative means much. To give an exact amount, Czech uses o with the accusative.

• Je mnohem větší než Belgie.

  It's much bigger than Belgium.

• O deset procent levněji.

  Ten percent cheaper.

06

They Are Still Adjectives

A comparative agrees with its noun exactly as the plain adjective did, and it declines through the cases as a soft adjective. It is not a fixed word.

• Mám tři starší bratry.

  I have three older brothers.

• Koupím si větší byt.

  I'll buy a bigger flat.

07

Second Best

An ordinal number in front of a superlative gives the English second best, and the two words simply stand side by side.

• Je to druhý nejlepší hotel ve městě.

  It's the second best hotel in town.

08

As Soon As Possible

Putting co in front of a superlative makes the English as ... as possible, and the phrase is fixed.

• Prosím, přijďte co nejdříve.

  Please come as soon as possible.

• Chci co nejlepší cenu.

  I want the best price possible.