過（比較）

More … than

Level 2Sounds Like gwo3

To say 'A is more [adjective] than B' in Cantonese, place 過 (gwo3) directly after the adjective: Item A + Adjective + 過 + Item B.

How It Works

1. Basic Sentence Structure
The standard Cantonese comparative structure for inequality is:
[Item A] + [Adjective] + 過 (gwo3) + [Item B]

For example:
• 佢高過我 (keoi5 gou1 gwo3 ngo5) = 'He is taller than me.'

Notice that you do not need any additional word for 'more' or '-er'. The word 過 (gwo3) itself functions as the comparative marker.

2. Adding Degree Modifiers
• To say 'much more': Put 好多 (hou2 do1) after Item B.
Example: 廣東話難過英文好多 (gwong2 dung1 waa2 naan4 gwo3 jing1 man4 hou2 do1 - Cantonese is much harder than English).
• To say 'a bit / slightly more': Put 少少 (siu2 siu2) after Item B.
Example: 佢高過我少少 (keoi5 gou1 gwo3 ngo5 siu2 siu2 - He is a bit taller than me).
• To say 'even more': Put 仲 (zung6) before the adjective.
Example: 呢間仲平過嗰間 (ni1 gaan1 zung6 peng4 gwo3 go2 gaan1 - This one is even cheaper than that one).
• To state exact differences: Put the numerical difference after Item B.
Example: 佢大過我兩歲 (keoi5 daai6 gwo3 ngo5 loeng5 seoi3 - He is two years older than me).

3. Important Rule: What if Item B is omitted?
If you do not explicitly state the second item (e.g., 'This one is cheaper' instead of 'This one is cheaper than that one'), you cannot use 過 (gwo3) alone. Instead, drop 過 (gwo3) and attach 啲 (di1) after the adjective.
• Correct: 呢個平啲 (ni1 go3 peng4 di1 - This one is cheaper).
• Incorrect: *呢個平過.

4. Avoid Absolute Adverbs
Never use absolute degree adverbs like 好 (hou2) before the adjective when making comparisons with 過 (gwo3). For example, *佢好高過我 is ungrammatical.

Examples (5)

  1. 佢高過我。

    He is taller than me.

    Word by Word: He tall surpasses me.

    A simple comparison using [Subject + Adj + 過 + Object].

  2. 呢個手袋貴過嗰個。

    This handbag is more expensive than that one.

    Word by Word: This handbag expensive surpasses that one.

    Comparing two nouns using 貴 (gwai3, expensive) followed by 過 (gwo3).

  3. 廣東話難過英文好多。

    Cantonese is much harder than English.

    Word by Word: Cantonese hard surpasses English very much.

    Adding 好多 (hou2 do1) after the standard of comparison (英文) specifies a large difference.

  4. 呢間餐廳仲平過嗰間。

    This restaurant is even cheaper than that one.

    Word by Word: This restaurant even cheap surpasses that one.

    Using 仲 (zung6) before the adjective 平 (peng4) adds the meaning 'even more'.

  5. 哥哥大過我兩歲。

    My older brother is two years older than me.

    Word by Word: Older brother big surpasses me two years.

    Specific numeric amounts (兩歲, two years old) are placed at the end of the sentence.

Common Mistakes

  • Using English or Mandarin word order in Cantonese comparisons.

    佢過我高。
    佢高過我

    In Cantonese comparisons with 過, put the adjective first: 佢高過我. The 比 pattern, 佢比我高, is also correct and very common; the problem here is putting 過 before the adjective.

  • Adding 好 (hou2) before the adjective in a comparative sentence.

    佢好高過我
    佢高過我好多

    Degree adverbs like 好 (hou2, very) cannot pre-modify adjectives in comparative structures. Put 好多 (hou2 do1) after the comparison object instead.

  • Using 過 (gwo3) when the standard of comparison is omitted.

    呢個手袋貴過
    呢個手袋貴啲

    過 (gwo3) requires an explicit second item to compare against. If you don't mention the second item, use 啲 (di1) after the adjective instead.

How It Connects

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過（比較）Level 2More … than

Learn This First

To use the comparative '過', you need to understand how adjectives work in Cantonese (as they act like verbs) and how to structure a basic sentence with a subject and an object of comparison.

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Words in This Pattern

过