Language/Czech/Grammar/Comparative-and-Superlative-Forms
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As a Czech language teacher for over 20 years, I know that understanding comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs can be a bit tricky for beginners. That's why I've prepared this lesson to help you master this important grammatical concept.
Comparative Forms
Comparative forms are used to compare two things. In Czech, adjectives and adverbs can have different comparative forms, depending on the word's ending. Here are some examples:
Czech | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
hezký (nice) | [ˈhɛz.kiː] | nicer |
levný (cheap) | [ˈlɛv.niː] | cheaper |
rychle (quickly) | [ˈrɪx.lɛ] | faster |
mnoho (much/many) | [ˈmnɔ.xo] | more |
As you can see, adding "ší" to the end of most adjectives and adverbs makes them comparative. However, some words are irregular and have a different form. For example, "dobrý" (good) becomes "lepší" (better) in comparative form, and "málo" (little/few) becomes "méně" (less).
To use comparative forms in a sentence, you can use the following structure:
"Subjekt + (je) + adj./adv. v komparativu + než + objekt."
For example: "Můj pes je větší než tvůj pes." (My dog is bigger than your dog.)
Superlative Forms
Superlative forms are used to compare one thing against all the others in a group. In Czech, similar to comparative forms, adjectives and adverbs have different forms for the superlative. Here are a few examples:
Czech | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
hezký (nice) | [ˈhɛz.kiː] | the nicest |
levný (cheap) | [ˈlɛv.niː] | the cheapest |
rychle (quickly) | [ˈrɪx.lɛ] | the fastest |
mnoho (much/many) | [ˈmnɔ.xo] | the most |
Again, some words are irregular and have different forms in the superlative. For example, "dobrý" (good) becomes "nejlepší" (the best) and "málo" (little/few) becomes "nejméně" (the least).
To use superlative forms in a sentence, you can use the following structure:
"Subjekt + (je) + adj./adv. v superlativu + ze všech."
For example: "Můj pes je největší ze všech psů." (My dog is the biggest of all dogs.)
It's important to note that when using superlative forms, the noun being compared must be in the genitive case.
Practice
Now that you have learned the basics of comparative and superlative forms, it's time to practice using them in sentences. Here are some practice exercises to get you started:
- Form the comparative and superlative forms of the following words: "vysoce" (high), "velký" (big), "krátký" (short).
- Complete the following sentences with the correct comparative or superlative form:
- Tento hotel je _____ (dobrý) než ten minulý rok. (This hotel is better than last year's.)
- On je _____ (talentovaný) z celé rodiny. (He is the most talented in the whole family.)
- Ta kniha je _____ (nudný) než ta, kterou jsem četl minule. (This book is more boring than the one I read last time.)
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