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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).
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':
What this lesson covered
This lesson covered how to compare things. Short adjectives form the comparative with an ending, usually -szy: duży → większy (bigger), wysoki → wyższy (taller); longer ones use bardziej instead (bardziej zmęczony, “more tired”). The superlative simply adds naj- to the comparative — najlepszy (the best), największy (the biggest). To say “than,” use niż: Anna jest wyższa niż Ewa. A few very common adjectives are irregular and worth memorising outright — dobry → lepszy → najlepszy, and zły → gorszy → najgorszy. With these you can rank, contrast and give opinions, which makes conversation far more expressive. The habit to build is deciding whether an adjective takes the -szy ending or needs bardziej, then adding niż for the comparison.