Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Comparative-and-superlative

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◀️ Adjective agreement and placement — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Personal pronouns ▶️

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Standard Arabic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Adjectives in Arabic → Comparative and superlative

In the previous lesson, we learned about adjective agreement and placement in Arabic. We explored how adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in terms of gender, number, and case. We also discussed the different positions of adjectives in Arabic sentences. In this lesson, we will continue our study of adjectives and focus specifically on comparative and superlative forms.

Comparative Adjectives[edit | edit source]

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two or more things or people in terms of a specific quality or characteristic. In English, we often add the suffix "-er" or use the word "more" to form comparative adjectives (e.g., "bigger," "more beautiful"). In Arabic, however, we use a different structure to express the comparative degree.

To form the comparative degree of adjectives in Arabic, we use the following formula:

"أَفْعَلُ" (af'alu) + adjective

Let's look at some examples:

  • عالٍ (aalin) - tall
  • أَطولُ (atwalu) - taller
  • هُوَ أَطولُ مِنْهُ (huwa atwalu minhu) - He is taller than him.
  • هِيَ أَطولُ مِنْهَا (hiya atwalu minha) - She is taller than her.

As you can see, we add the word "أَطولُ" (atwalu) before the adjective to indicate the comparative degree. It is important to note that the adjective does not change its form in the comparative degree.

Let's practice forming comparative adjectives with a few more examples:

  • كَبِيرٌ (kabirun) - big
  • أَكْبَرُ (akbaru) - bigger
  • هُوَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْهُ (huwa akbaru minhu) - He is bigger than him.
  • هِيَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْهَا (hiya akbaru minha) - She is bigger than her.
  • صَغِيرٌ (saghirun) - small
  • أَصْغَرُ (asgharu) - smaller
  • هُوَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْهُ (huwa asgharu minhu) - He is smaller than him.
  • هِيَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْهَا (hiya asgharu minha) - She is smaller than her.
  • جَميلٌ (jameelun) - beautiful
  • أَجْمَلُ (ajmalu) - more beautiful
  • هُوَ أَجْمَلُ مِنْهُ (huwa ajmalu minhu) - He is more beautiful than him.
  • هِيَ أَجْمَلُ مِنْهَا (hiya ajmalu minha) - She is more beautiful than her.

Superlative Adjectives[edit | edit source]

Superlative adjectives are used to describe the highest degree of a particular quality or characteristic. In English, we often add the suffix "-est" or use the word "most" to form superlative adjectives (e.g., "biggest," "most beautiful"). In Arabic, we also use a different structure to express the superlative degree.

To form the superlative degree of adjectives in Arabic, we use the following formula:

"أَفْعَلُ" (af'alu) + "مِنْ" (min) + adjective

Let's look at some examples:

  • عالٍ (aalin) - tall
  • أَطولُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (atwalu mina aljamee'i) - tallest of all
  • هُوَ أَطولُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (huwa atwalu mina aljamee'i) - He is the tallest of all.
  • هِيَ أَطولُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (hiya atwalu mina aljamee'i) - She is the tallest of all.

As you can see, we add the word "أَطولُ" (atwalu) before the adjective and the word "مِنْ" (min) after the adjective to indicate the superlative degree. The word "الْجَمِيعِ" (aljamee'i) is added to specify "of all."

Let's practice forming superlative adjectives with a few more examples:

  • كَبِيرٌ (kabirun) - big
  • أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (akbaru mina aljamee'i) - biggest of all
  • هُوَ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (huwa akbaru mina aljamee'i) - He is the biggest of all.
  • هِيَ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (hiya akbaru mina aljamee'i) - She is the biggest of all.
  • صَغِيرٌ (saghirun) - small
  • أَصْغَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (asgharu mina aljamee'i) - smallest of all
  • هُوَ أَصْغَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (huwa asgharu mina aljamee'i) - He is the smallest of all.
  • هِيَ أَصْغَرُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (hiya asgharu mina aljamee'i) - She is the smallest of all.
  • جَميلٌ (jameelun) - beautiful
  • أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (ajmalu mina aljamee'i) - most beautiful of all
  • هُوَ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (huwa ajmalu mina aljamee'i) - He is the most beautiful of all.
  • هِيَ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْجَمِيعِ (hiya ajmalu mina aljamee'i) - She is the most beautiful of all.

Exceptions and Irregularities[edit | edit source]

Just like in English, Arabic also has some exceptions and irregularities when it comes to forming comparative and superlative adjectives. Here are some examples:

  • جَيْدٌ (jayidun) - good
  • أَحْسَنُ (ahsanu) - better
  • هُوَ أَحْسَنُ مِنْهُ (huwa ahsanu minhu) - He is better than him.
  • هِيَ أَحْسَنُ مِنْهَا (hiya ahsanu minha) - She is better than her.
  • سَيِّءٌ (sayy'un) - bad
  • أَسْوَأُ (aswa'u) - worse
  • هُوَ أَسْوَأُ مِنْهُ (huwa aswa'u minhu) - He is worse than him.
  • هِيَ أَسْوَأُ مِنْهَا (hiya aswa'u minha) - She is worse than her.
  • قَلِيلٌ (qalilun) - few
  • أَقَلُّ (aqallu) - fewer
  • هُوَ أَقَلُّ مِنْهُ (huwa aqallu minhu) - He is fewer than him.
  • هِيَ أَقَلُّ مِنْهَا (hiya aqallu minha) - She is fewer than her.

It is important to memorize these exceptions and irregularities to use them correctly in Arabic.

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

In this lesson, we learned how to form and use comparative and superlative adjectives in Arabic. We discovered that Arabic uses different structures compared to English, and we explored the formulas for forming comparative and superlative degrees. We also saw some exceptions and irregularities in the formation of comparative and superlative adjectives. By understanding these concepts, we can now express comparisons and describe the highest degree of a particular quality or characteristic in Arabic.

In the next lesson, we will continue our study of Arabic grammar and delve into the topic of pronouns. We will learn about personal pronouns and possessive pronouns in Arabic and explore how they are used in different contexts.

Table of Contents - Standard Arabic Course - 0 to A1[edit source]


Introduction to Arabic script


Nouns and gender in Arabic


Verbs and conjugation in Arabic


Numbers and counting in Arabic


Everyday Arabic vocabulary


Food and drink vocabulary


Arabic customs and traditions


Arabic music and entertainment


Adjectives in Arabic


Pronouns in Arabic


Prepositions in Arabic


Interrogatives in Arabic


Adverbs in Arabic


Transportation vocabulary


Shopping and money vocabulary


Arabic literature and poetry


Arabic calligraphy and art


Weather vocabulary


Conditional sentences in Arabic


Passive voice in Arabic


Relative clauses in Arabic


Arabic adjectives and nouns


Arabic cinema and TV


Arabic fashion and beauty


Sports and leisure vocabulary



Other Lessons[edit | edit source]



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