Comparative adjectives in German

• Comparatives are used to compare nouns.

• A comparative can compare different things:

  • Orangensaft schmeckt besser als Apfelsaft.
    Orange juice tastes better than apple juice

• They can also compare things of equal value:

  • Mein Opa ist so alt wie meine Oma.
    My grandad is as old as my grandma.

To form comparative adjectives in German add -er to the adjective.

Examples include:

einfach → einfacher
easy → easier

interessant → interessanter
interesting → more interesting

When comparing two things the word alsthan is used after the comparative adjective. For example, Meine Schwester ist lustiger als mein Bruder.My sister is funnier than my brother.

Some comparative forms are irregular:

Top tip:

The comparative form of bad in English is worse, however in German schlecht is regular so -er is simply added to schlecht.

Das Wetter ist schlechter als gestern. The weather is worse than yesterday

Some short, one-syllable adjectives add an umlaut in the comparative form:

Examples include:

Meine Mutter ist älter als mein Vater.My mum is older than my dad.

Berlin is größer als München.Berlin is bigger than Munich.

The phrase (genau) so … wie is used to make equal comparisons in German. It means (just) as… as.

Sie ist so groß wie ihr Bruder. – She is as tall as her brother.

Meine Geburtstagsparty war genauso toll wie letztes Jahr. – My birthday party was just as great as last year.

Meine Jacke ist so bunt wie meine Hose. – My jacket is as colourful as my trousers.