The Comparative of Adjectives in Serbian
Here is the big shift from English: Serbian doesn't put a "more" word in front of the adjective. The comparison is baked right into the word through an ending. Most adjectives take -iji, as in nov → noviji ("newer"). A second group takes a short -ji with a consonant change, like jak → jači. And the four most common adjectives are irregular, so learn them by heart: dobar → bolji, loš → gori, velik → veći, mali → manji. To say what you're comparing against, add od plus the genitive: Ovaj grad je veći. Belgrade is bigger od Niša. The number-one mistake is saying "više dobar" on the English model — don't. Once you have the comparative, the superlative is easy: just prefix naj- (najveći, najbolji).
Examples
- noviji newer
- bolji better
- Ovaj grad je veći. This city is bigger.
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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You want to say something is bigger, better, or cheaper. In Serbian you don't add a word like „više“ — comparison is built right into the adjective.
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The comparative is the adjective form you use to compare two things. In English you add „more“ or the ending „-er“. In Serbian you usually just change the adjective's ending.
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There are three paths. Most adjectives take the ending „-iji“. One group takes a short „-ji“ with a consonant change. And a few of the most common adjectives are irregular and must be memorized.
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Let's start with the most common one — the ending „-iji“. The adjective „nov“ becomes „noviji“. Ovaj telefon je noviji.
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The same pattern works for loads of adjectives. „Star“ becomes „stariji“, „pametan“ becomes „pametniji“. Moja sestra je starija.
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The second group takes a short „-ji“, but the final consonant changes. „Jak“ becomes „jači“ — the letter „k“ shifts to „č“. On je jači od mene.
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This consonant change is predictable. „Skup“ becomes „skuplji“, and „drag“ becomes „draži“. The consonant softens before the ending. Ovaj stan je skuplji.
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Now the irregular forms. They're the most important, because they're the most common adjectives in the language — and you have to learn them by heart.
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„Dobar“ doesn't become „dobriji“ — the comparative is „bolji“, just like „good“ and „better“ in English. Ova kafa je bolja.
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The opposite of „bolji“ is „gori“. The adjective „loš“ becomes „gori“ in the comparative. Vreme je danas gore.
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And the most common of all — „velik“ becomes „veći“. You'll hear this one every day. Ovaj grad je veći.
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And its opposite — „mali“ becomes „manji“. Remember them as a pair: „veći“ and „manji“. Moj stan je manji.
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To say what you're comparing against, you use the word „od“ with the second thing: „veći od“, „bolji od“, „jači od“. Beograd je veći od Niša.
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Here's the biggest trap. Under the influence of English „more good“, learners say „više dobar“. That's wrong. Serbian builds comparison into the adjective — you just say „bolji“.
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The same goes for the irregulars. Never „više velik“ — always „veći“. And for the superlative you just add „naj-“ to the comparative: „najveći“, „najbolji“.
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Let's sum up. Most adjectives take „-iji“; one group takes „-ji“ with a consonant change; and the most common ones are irregular. And you never add „više“ — the comparison is in the adjective itself.