Comparative + чым / за

Than with Чым and За

Level 3Sounds Like paraŭnanne z čym í za

Belarusian has two main ways to say than: Ён старэйшы за мяне (He is older than me) and Сёння цяплей, чым учора (It is warmer today than yesterday).

How It Works

1. За + accusative. This is the most typical Belarusian way after a one-word comparative. The compared noun or pronoun goes into the accusative:

  • Ён старэйшы за мяне. (He is older than me.)
  • Кава тут даражэйшая за гарбату. (Coffee here is more expensive than tea.)
  • Сын ужо вышэйшы за бацьку. (The son is already taller than his father.)

Animate masculine nouns use their genitive-looking accusative, as with any animate object: за брата.

2. Чым + the same case. Put a comma before чым. The word after it takes whatever case its partner has in the sentence:

  • Я люблю каву больш, чым гарбату. (Both are objects of люблю, so both are accusative.)
  • Мне лягчэй, чым табе. (Both are dative.)
  • У Мінску больш людзей, чым у Гродне. (The phrase у + locative is repeated.)

Чым is the only choice when you compare adverbs, infinitives or clauses: Сёння цяплей, чым учора. Гаварыць лягчэй, чым пісаць. Гэта прасцей, чым я думаў. It is also the usual choice with больш and менш.

3. More than a number. Больш за and менш за give amounts: больш за гадзіну (more than an hour), менш за сто еўра (less than a hundred euros).

4. Other options. Як can also follow a comparative, especially in set phrases and sayings: Няма прыгажэйшай, як наша Радзіма. In stories and everyday speech you may also meet ад + genitive: вышэйшы ад яго. For comparisons of equality (as ... as), see як.

Examples (6)

  1. Ён старэйшы за мяне.

    He is older than me.

    За takes the accusative: я → мяне.

  2. Кава тут даражэйшая за гарбату.

    Coffee here is more expensive than tea.

    Гарбата → гарбату in the accusative.

  3. Сёння цяплей, чым учора.

    It is warmer today than yesterday.

    Учора is an adverb, so only чым works here.

  4. Мне лягчэй гаварыць, чым пісаць.

    It is easier for me to speak than to write.

    Two infinitives are compared with чым.

  5. У Мінску больш людзей, чым у Гродне.

    There are more people in Minsk than in Hrodna.

    The same structure у + locative appears on both sides of чым.

  6. Мы чакалі больш за гадзіну.

    We waited more than an hour.

    Больш за + accusative gives an amount: гадзіна → гадзіну.

Common Mistakes

  • Copying the Russian comparison with a bare genitive.

    Ён старэйшы мяне.
    Ён старэйшы за мяне.

    Standard Belarusian marks the comparison with за + accusative or with чым. A bare genitive after the comparative is a Russian pattern.

  • Using the nominative after за.

    Мой брат вышэйшы за я.
    Мой брат вышэйшы за мяне.

    In a comparison, за always takes the accusative, so я becomes мяне and ты becomes цябе.

  • Putting the word after чым in the wrong case.

    Я люблю каву больш, чым гарбата.
    Я люблю каву больш, чым гарбату.

    Кава and гарбата are both objects of люблю, so both must be accusative. With the nominative, гарбата becomes a second subject, and the sentence would mean that you love coffee more than tea does.

How It Connects

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Comparative + чым / заLevel 3Than with Чым and За

Learn This First

Than needs comparatives and the accusative.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

за