Irregular adjective comparison

Level 2

Some of the most common Czech adjectives don't use regular endings to say 'more'. Instead, they change their root completely (like 'good' to 'better' in English) and always take soft adjective endings.

How It Works

The Absolute Comparative (Elativ)
In Czech, comparative adjectives aren't always used to compare two things directly. Often, they are used without an explicit comparison to mean 'somewhat' or '-ish'. Surprisingly, this can actually weaken the original adjective!

  • A starší pán (an older man) is generally younger than a starý pán (an old man).
  • A menší problém translates to 'a minor problem', not necessarily a problem smaller than another one.

Adjectives vs. Adverbs
English uses words like 'better' and 'worse' as both adjectives and adverbs, but Czech strictly separates them.

  • Use the adjective (lepší, horší) to describe nouns or with the verb být: To auto je lepší. (That car is better.)
  • Use the adverb (lépe/líp, hůře/hůř) to describe verbs or states: Zpívá líp. (He sings better.)

The Superlative
To form the superlative (the highest degree), simply add the prefix nej- to the irregular comparative forms. For example, nejlepší (the best), nejhorší (the worst), and nejmenší (the smallest).

To learn about regular comparatives, see comparative adjectives.

Examples (5)

  1. Tohle auto je lepší než tamto.

    This car is better than that one.

    Word by Word: This car is better than that.

    A standard comparison using 'lepší' (better) and 'než' (than).

  2. Praha je větší než Brno, ale Brno je klidnější.

    Prague is bigger than Brno, but Brno is calmer.

    Word by Word: Prague is bigger than Brno, but Brno is calmer.

    Contrasts the irregular comparative 'větší' (bigger) with a regular comparative 'klidnější' (calmer).

  3. Omlouvám se, mám menší problém.

    I apologize, I have a minor problem.

    Word by Word: I apologize, I have smaller problem.

    An example of the absolute comparative. 'Menší' here means 'minor' or 'somewhat small', not necessarily smaller than another specific problem.

  4. Dnes je horší počasí než včera.

    Today the weather is worse than yesterday.

    Word by Word: Today is worse weather than yesterday.

    'Horší' is the comparative form for both 'špatný' (bad) and 'zlý' (bad/evil).

  5. Hledám nějakou delší knihu na dovolenou.

    I am looking for a longer book for my vacation.

    Word by Word: I look for some longer book for vacation.

    Shows 'delší' (longer) agreeing with the feminine accusative noun 'knihu'.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying regular comparative suffixes to irregular roots.

    To je dobřejší nápad.
    To je lepší nápad.

    The adjective 'dobrý' (good) is highly irregular. You cannot add a regular comparative suffix to it; you must use the completely different root 'lepší'.

  • Using hard adjective endings instead of soft endings.

    Můj nový telefon je lepšý.
    Můj nový telefon je lepší.

    Irregular comparatives end in '-ší' and strictly follow the soft adjective paradigm. They take '-í' for masculine, feminine, and neuter in the nominative case.

  • Confusing the adjective with the adverb.

    Můj bratr vaří lepší než já.
    Můj bratr vaří líp než já.

    'Lepší' is an adjective used to describe nouns. To describe an action (like cooking), you must use the adverb form 'lépe' or 'líp'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Irregular adjective comparisonLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn irregular adjective comparison, learners first need to understand the general concept and regular formation of comparative adjectives. Additionally, a solid grasp of gender agreement is necessary as these irregular forms still change based on the noun they describe.

Words in This Pattern

dobrýlepšíšpatnýzlýhoršívelkýmalýmenšídlouhý