-nál/-nél (hasonlító határozó)

Comparative than Suffix

Level 2

In Hungarian, you can say 'than' by adding the suffix -nál/-nél directly to the word you are comparing against. It is a concise alternative to using the word mint.

How It Works

The suffix -nál/-nél serves as a synthetic way to express comparison. While English always uses the separate word 'than', Hungarian offers two choices: the conjunction mint or the suffix -nál/-nél.

1. Vowel Harmony:

  • -nál is used with back-vowel words (e.g., autó, kutya, macska).
  • -nél is used with front-vowel words (e.g., épület, szék, Péter).

2. Usage with Pronouns:
When comparing something to a person ('than me'), the suffix combines with personal endings: nálam, nálad, nála, nálunk, nálatok, náluk. It also forms common demonstratives: ennél (than this) and annál (than that).

3. Grammatical Requirement:
This suffix must be paired with a word in the comparative degree. This includes an adjective with the comparative suffix -bb or a comparative adverb. It is never used for equality comparisons (e.g., 'as big as'); for those, you must use mint.

4. The Nominative Restriction:
You can only use -nál/-nél if the noun you are comparing would otherwise be in the nominative case (the subject). If you are comparing objects (e.g., 'I like X more than Y') or nouns with other case suffixes, you cannot stack the endings; you must use mint instead.

5. Register:
This form is very common in spoken Hungarian because it is shorter. However, it can only compare nouns or pronouns; if you are comparing a whole action or clause, you must use mint.

Examples (6)

  1. Péter magasabb Jánosnál.

    Peter is taller than John.

    Word by Word: Peter taller John-than.

    Here, -nál is attached to János because it contains back vowels. The adjective 'magas' (tall) becomes 'magasabb' (taller).

  2. Ez a kávé forróbb a teádnál.

    This coffee is hotter than your tea.

    Word by Word: This the coffee hotter the tea-your-than.

    The suffix -nál is attached to the possessed noun 'teád' (your tea).

  3. A bátyám két évvel idősebb nálam.

    My brother is two years older than me.

    Word by Word: The brother-my two year-with older me-than.

    When comparing to 'me', we use the inflected pronoun 'nálam'.

  4. Ez a könyv érdekesebb annál.

    This book is more interesting than that one.

    Word by Word: This the book interesting-er that-than.

    The demonstrative pronoun 'az' (that) becomes 'annál' when used for comparison.

  5. A vonat gyorsabb a busznál.

    The train is faster than the bus.

    Word by Word: The train faster the bus-than.

    A simple comparison between two nouns using the back-vowel suffix -nál.

  6. Ez a feladat nehezebb a múlt hetinél.

    This task is harder than last week's.

    Word by Word: This the task harder the past week-one-than.

    Here, -nél is used because 'heti' (weekly/of the week) contains front vowels.

Common Mistakes

  • Using both 'mint' and the suffix '-nál/-nél' together.

    Péter magasabb mint Jánosnál.
    Péter magasabb Jánosnál.

    This is redundant. Choose either the suffix -nál or the word mint with a comma, never both.

  • Forgetting the comparative -bb on the adjective.

    Different MeaningPéter magas nálam.
    Péter magasabb nálam.

    'Péter magas nálam' is a good sentence, but it means 'Péter is tall at my place'. For a comparison ('taller than me'), the adjective needs -bb.

  • Putting -nál/-nél on the noun after 'mint'.

    Jobban szeretem a teát, mint a kávénál.
    Jobban szeretem a teát, mint a kávét.

    The suffix -nál/-nél replaces 'mint', so do not use both. After 'mint', the second noun takes the same case as the first one (here the accusative: a kávét). 'Jobban szeretem a teát a kávénál' is also correct.

How It Connects

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

-nál/-nél (hasonlító határozó)Level 2Comparative than Suffix

Learn This First

To use the comparative source suffix, you must first know how to form comparative adjectives with -bb. You also need to be familiar with the -nál/-nél suffix (originally the adessive case) and understand that it serves as a concise alternative to the 'mint' conjunction when comparing two things.

Words in This Pattern

-nál-nél