Better, More and Most

Level 4

Hún syngur betur en ég. (She sings better than me.) betur is the comparative of the adverb vel (well).

How It Works

Regular adverbs. Add -ar and -ast:

  • oft, oftar, oftast (often)
  • hratt, hraðar, hraðast (fast)
  • hægt, hægar, hægast (slowly)
  • fallega, fallegar, fallegast (beautifully)

Irregular adverbs. These are very common, so learn them as sets:

  • vel, betur, best (well)
  • illa, verr, verst (badly)
  • mikið, meira, mest (much)
  • lítið, minna, minnst (little)
  • lengi, lengur, lengst (a long time) and langt, lengra, lengst (far) — see lengi and langt
  • snemma, fyrr, fyrst (early) and seint, seinna, seinast (late)

Adverb or adjective? The adjective góður compares as betri, bestur (irregular comparison). Use the adjective to describe a noun and the adverb to describe an action: Hún er betri söngkona (She is a better singer), but Hún syngur betur (She sings better).

Than. Use en after the comparative: Hann vann lengur en hinir. The superlative often appears with finnast: Hvað finnst þér best? (What do you like best?)

Examples (6)

  1. Hún syngur betur en ég.

    She sings better than me.

    Word by Word: She sings better than I.

  2. Hvað finnst þér best?

    What do you like best?

    Word by Word: What finds to-you best?

  3. Getur þú talað aðeins hægar?

    Could you speak a little more slowly?

    Word by Word: Can you talked a-bit slower?

  4. Ég fer oftar í sund núna.

    I go swimming more often now.

    Word by Word: I go oftener in swimming now.

  5. Hann vann lengur en hinir.

    He worked longer than the others.

    Word by Word: He worked longer than the others.

  6. Ég vaknaði fyrr en venjulega.

    I woke up earlier than usual.

    Word by Word: I woke earlier than usually.

    fyrr is the comparative of snemma (early).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the adjective form for an action.

    Hún syngur betri en ég.
    Hún syngur betur en ég.

    betri is an adjective and describes a noun. To say how someone does something, use the adverb betur.

  • Building "more often" with meira, as in English.

    Ég fer meira oft í sund núna.
    Ég fer oftar í sund núna.

    Icelandic adverbs take an ending instead: oftar means more often.

How It Connects

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

Better, More and MostLevel 4

Learn This First

Comparative adverbs build on irregular comparison and adverbs.

Words in This Pattern

beturillaverstmikiðmeiraoftoftaroftastlengilengurlengsthratt