Language/Serbian/Grammar/Adjectives:-Comparative-and-Superlative

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Serbian Grammar → Pronouns: Possessive Pronouns → Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative

In this lesson, we will explore the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in the Serbian language. As a Serbian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have found that adjectives are an essential part of the language and play a significant role in communication. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to compare people, places, and things in Serbian using these forms and expand your vocabulary.

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two people, places, or things. In Serbian, you can create a comparative adjective in two ways:

1. By adding -ји to the adjective stem and declining it as a regular adjective. 2. By using the word "od" (meaning "than") with the nominative case of the adjective.

Let's see some examples:

Serbian	Pronunciation	English
visok	['v̞ǐsok]	tall	viši	['v̞ǐʃi]	taller	On je viši od mene.	[ɔn jɛ 'v̞ǐʃi ɔd 'mɛnɛ]	He is taller than me.

In the examples above, we can see that we formed the comparative of visok by adding -ји to the adjective stem, and we formed the sentence "On je viši od mene" to compare the height of two people using the word "od" and the nominative case of the adjective.

Let's see more examples:

Moj auto je brži od tvog. (My car is faster than yours.)
Ovaj grad je lepši od onog. (This city is more beautiful than that one.)
Mačka je lenja, a pas je marljiviji. (The cat is lazy, but the dog is more hardworking.)

Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives are used to describe something as the best, the most, or the least. In Serbian, you can create superlative adjectives in two ways:

1. By adding -ји to the adjective stem and declining it as a regular adjective with the suffix -и. 2. By using the word "naj" (meaning "the most" or "the least") in front of the comparative form of the adjective.

Let's see some examples:

Serbian	Pronunciation	English
visok	['v̞ǐsok]	tall	najviši	['najʋ̞ǐʃi]	the tallest	Ovaj toranj je najviši u gradu.	[ɔv̞aj 'tǒraj jɛ 'najʋ̞ǐʃi u 'ɡrǎdu]	This tower is the tallest in the city.

In the examples above, we can see that we formed the superlative of visok by adding -ји to the adjective stem and declining it with the suffix -и, and we formed the sentence "Ovaj toranj je najviši u gradu" to describe the tower as the tallest using the word "naj" and the comparative form of the adjective.

Let's see more examples:

Ovo je najlepši grad na svetu. (This is the most beautiful city in the world.)
Moja mama pravi najbolje kolače. (My mom makes the best cakes.)
Oni su najgori učenici u razredu. (They are the worst students in the class.)

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Just like in English, some adjectives in Serbian have irregular comparative and superlative forms. Here are some examples:

Serbian	Pronunciation	English
dobar	['dɔbar]	good	bolji	['bɔʎi]	better	najbolji	['najbɔʎi]	the best
loš	['lɔʃ]	bad	gori	['ɡɔri]	worse	najgori	['najɡɔri]	the worst
veliki	['ʋ̞êliki]	big	veći	['ʋ̞êtʃi]	bigger	najveći	['naʎʋ̞êtʃi]	the biggest

In the examples above, we can see that the comparative and superlative forms of dobar, loš, and veliki are irregular and should be learned by heart.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we explored the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in Serbian. Adjectives are an essential part of the language and can help us communicate more effectively. By learning different ways of comparing and describing people, places, and things, students can expand their vocabulary and improve their communication skills in Serbian.

Sources

Table of Contents - Serbian Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Serbian Grammar

Introduction to Serbian Vocabulary

Introduction to Serbian Culture

Pronouns: Possessive Pronouns

Shopping

Sports and Recreation

Adjectives: Declension

Jobs and Professions

Literature and Poetry

Verbs: Conditional

Entertainment and Media

Art and Artists

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Contributors

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