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B1 · Intermediate · Lesson 18
Comparatives & superlatives
Bigger, biggest — and 'than'.
Most adjectives add -szy for the comparative, and the superlative simply prefixes naj-. Longer or clumsy adjectives use bardziej ('more') instead. 'Than' is niż, or od + the genitive.
| Base | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| tani (cheap) | tańszy | najtańszy |
| dobry (good) | lepszy | najlepszy |
| zły (bad) | gorszy | najgorszy |
| duży (big) | większy | największy |
- •Regular: + -szy, then naj- for the top.
- •Long adjectives: bardziej + adjective.
- •'than' = niż (or od + genitive).
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Ten hotel jest tańszy.
This hotel is cheaper.
To jest najlepsza kawa.
This is the best coffee.
Jestem starszy niż ty.
I'm older than you.
Polski jest trudniejszy niż angielski.
Polish is harder than English.
To najdroższy sklep w mieście.
It's the most expensive shop in town.
🧠 Tactic — Memorise the four irregulars (dobry, zły, duży, mały) as a set — they are the comparatives you'll use most.
⚠️ Watch out — Don't stack 'more' onto '-szy'. bardziej tańszy ('more cheaper') is wrong; just tańszy.
Quick check
'cheaper' (tani):
Comparative adds -szy: tańszy.
'than' in a comparison is:
niż (or od + genitive).
Practice
Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.
Comparative of 'tani':
Superlative of 'dobry':
'than' in a comparison =
Say: Polish is harder than English.
Comparative of 'duży':
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