ـتر و از

Comparing Two Things

Level 3

بهتر is the one special form, because the comparative of خوب is بهتر.

How It Works

AdjectiveWith ـترMeaning
کلانکلان‌ترbigger, older
خوردخورد‌ترsmaller, younger
سردسرد‌ترcolder
شیرینشیرین‌ترsweeter
خوببهترbetter

The ending ـتر joins the adjective with a half-space: کلان‌تر. The special form بهتر is one word.

A sentence has three parts: the first thing, از and the second thing, and the adjective. کابل از هرات کلان‌تر است means Kabul is bigger than Herat. You can also put the adjective first, because both orders are correct: کابل کلان‌تر از هرات است.

Say how much bigger with a word before the adjective: خیلی کلان‌تر (much bigger). For equal size, use به اندازهٔ, which has its own entry.

Adverbs take ـتر too: زود becomes زود‌تر (earlier). Without a second thing, ـتر means more than before: هوا سرد‌تر شد (it got colder).

Examples (5)

  1. تابستان از بهار گرم‌تر است.

    Summer is warmer than spring.

    از بهار names the thing compared with, and گرم‌تر is the comparative.

  2. برادرم از من کلان‌تر است.

    My brother is older than me.

    کلان‌تر means older when it describes a person.

  3. این چای از آن چای شیرین‌تر است.

    This tea is sweeter than that tea.

    از آن چای is the second thing.

  4. احمد از من زود‌تر آمد.

    Ahmad came earlier than I did.

    ـتر also works on an adverb like زود.

  5. این موتر از موتر ما بهتر است.

    This car is better than our car.

    بهتر is the special form of خوب.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out از.

    کابل هرات کلان‌تر است.
    کابل از هرات کلان‌تر است.

    از comes before the thing you compare with.

How It Connects

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

ـتر و ازLevel 3Comparing Two Things

Learn This First

Comparing adds ـتر to the adjective and uses از.

Words in This Pattern

از