Language/Haitian/Grammar/Comparative-and-Superlative-Forms-of-Adjectives
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As a Haitian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I am thrilled to introduce you to the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in Haitian. In this lesson, we will explore how to compare two things or people using adjectives in Haitian. We will also learn how to express the highest degree of a quality using the superlative form of adjectives.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Negative Sentences & Subject Pronouns.
Forming the Comparative Form of Adjectives
To form the comparative form of adjectives in Haitian, you will need to use the word "pi" before the adjective. Let's take a look at some examples:
| Haitian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Moun sa plis gran pase mwen. | mooun sah plees grahn passay mwenn | This person is taller than me. |
| Chita la pi konfor pase chita a. | sheeta lah pee kohnfoor passay sheeta ah | Sitting here is more comfortable than sitting there. |
| Medam yo pi bèl pase moun yo. | mehdahm yoh pee behl passay mooun yoh | The women are more beautiful than the men. |
| Fe sa plis move pase sa. | feh sah plees mohv passay sah | This iron is more bad than that one. |
Note that in Haitian, there is no distinction between "than" and "then" in comparative sentences. Also, if the adjective ends with a vowel, you will need to add the letter "t" before adding "pi".
Forming the Superlative Form of Adjectives
To form the superlative form of adjectives in Haitian, you will need to use the word "pi" before the adjective, followed by the word "plis" and then the noun that you are comparing the quality to. Let's take a look at some examples:
| Haitian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Li se pi bon anvan tout lòt moun yo. | lee seh pee bohn ahnvaohn toot loht mooun yoh | He is the best before all the other people. |
| Sentòm sa pi plen pase tout lòt yo. | seintoohm sah pee plehn passay toot loht yoh | This centipede is fuller than all the others. |
| Mwen jwi pi bon jan manje nan vil la. | mwenn jwee pee bohn jahn manje nahnt veell lah | I enjoy the best food in the city. |
| Se li ki pi rich nan fanmi a. | seh lee kee pee reesh na fahnmee ah | He is the richest in the family. |
Note that in Haitian, the superlative form is usually formed using "pi plis" instead of simply "plis". This construction is used to convey the idea of "the most".
Congratulations! You have now learned how to form comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in Haitian. Keep practicing and don't forget to incorporate some of the cultural information and interesting facts that I shared with you in your language learning journey.
Other Lessons
- Definite and Indefinite Articles
- Object Pronouns
- Negation
- How to Use Have
- Progressive Tense Ongoing Actions
- Conditional Mood
- 0 to A1 Course
- Nouns
- Subject Pronouns
| ◀️ Position of Adjectives — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Subject Pronouns ▶️ |