Comparing with kui

Level 2

After a comparative, kui means "than": Tallinn on suurem kui Tartu. (Tallinn is bigger than Tartu.) Mina olen pikem kui sina. (I am taller than you.)

How It Works

Same case on both sides

  • Subject compared with subject: Mina olen pikem kui sina. (I am taller than you.)
  • "Having" compared with "having": Mul on rohkem raha kui sul. (I have more money than you.)
  • Means compared with means: Rongiga on kiirem kui bussiga. (It's faster by train than by bus.)
  • With meeldima, the liked things are subjects: Mulle meeldib tee rohkem kui kohv. (I like tea more than coffee.)

Use the full pronouns mina, sina, tema after kui, because the word is stressed there.

The comma

  • No comma when only a word or phrase follows: Tallinn on suurem kui Tartu.
  • A comma when kui starts a clause with its own verb: Film oli parem, kui ma arvasin. (The film was better than I thought.)

With numbers
rohkem kui and vähem kui mean "more than" and "less than": Seal oli rohkem kui sada inimest. (There were more than a hundred people there.)

Another way
Instead of kui, you can put the compared word in the elative before the comparative: Tallinn on Tartust suurem. See comparing with the elative. For "as ... as", use sama ... kui.

Examples (6)

  1. Tallinn on suurem kui Tartu.

    Tallinn is bigger than Tartu.

    Word by Word: Tallinn is bigger than Tartu

  2. Mina olen pikem kui sina.

    I am taller than you.

    Word by Word: I am taller than you

  3. Mul on rohkem aega kui sul.

    I have more time than you.

    Word by Word: me-at is more time than you-at

    mul and sul are both adessive, so they match.

  4. Mulle meeldib tee rohkem kui kohv.

    I like tea more than coffee.

    Word by Word: me-to pleases tea more than coffee

  5. Rongiga on kiirem kui bussiga.

    It's faster by train than by bus.

    Word by Word: train-with is faster than bus-with

  6. Film oli parem, kui ma arvasin.

    The film was better than I thought.

    Word by Word: film was better than I thought

    A comma comes before kui because a clause with its own verb (arvasin) follows.

Common Mistakes

  • Not matching the case of the two things compared.

    Mul on rohkem raha kui sina.
    Mul on rohkem raha kui sul.

    The comparison is between mul and sul, so both take the adessive -l.

  • Using nagu instead of kui after a comparative.

    Tallinn on suurem nagu Tartu.
    Tallinn on suurem kui Tartu.

    nagu means "like" or "as". After a comparative, "than" is always kui.

  • Putting a comma before kui in a short comparison.

    Tallinn on suurem, kui Tartu.
    Tallinn on suurem kui Tartu.

    Use a comma only when kui starts a clause with its own verb.

How It Connects

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Comparing with kuiLevel 2

Learn This First

kui introduces the thing compared with.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

kui