Comparative -āks

Comparing: -āks

Level 3

To say bigger or better, put -āk- between the stem and the ending: liels → lielāks, laba → labāka. Even labs (good) follows the rule: labāks (better).

How It Works

1. Adjectives.

  • liels → lielāks, lielāka (bigger)
  • mazs → mazāks, mazāka (smaller)
  • labs → labāks, labāka (better)
  • silts → siltāks, siltāka (warmer)
  • interesants → interesantāks (more interesting)

Long adjectives use -āk- too, so more interesting is one word: interesantāks.

2. Adverbs. The adverb has no gender ending: ātri → ātrāk (faster), labi → labāk (better), vēlu → vēlāk (later), maz → mazāk (less). One common word is different: daudz (a lot) → vairāk (more).

3. Adjective or adverb? Describe a thing with the adjective: ātrāks vilciens (a faster train). Describe an action with the adverb: Vilciens brauc ātrāk (The train goes faster). Weather and feelings after ir also use the adverb, as in man ir auksti: Šodien ir siltāk (It is warmer today), Man ir labāk (I feel better).

4. Much bigger, even better. Make a comparative stronger with daudz (much) or vēl (even): daudz lielāks (much bigger), vēl labāk (even better). Ļoti (very) goes with plain adjectives, not with comparatives.

5. Next steps. To say than, use nekā or par. The definite comparative means the most: labākais (the best), as in the superlative.

Examples (6)

  1. Šis dzīvoklis ir lielāks un gaišāks.

    This flat is bigger and brighter.

    Dzīvoklis is masculine: lielāks, gaišāks.

  2. Man vajag lētāku viesnīcu.

    I need a cheaper hotel.

    Lēts → lētāks, and here the feminine accusative lētāku agrees with viesnīcu.

  3. Runājiet, lūdzu, lēnāk!

    Please speak more slowly!

    Lēnāk is the adverb: it describes how to speak.

  4. Šodien ir siltāk nekā vakar.

    It is warmer today than yesterday.

    Weather after ir uses the adverb siltāk.

  5. Tagad man ir daudz labāk.

    I feel much better now.

    Daudz makes a comparative stronger.

  6. Viņš strādā vairāk un guļ mazāk.

    He works more and sleeps less.

    Vairāk is the comparative of daudz; mazāk is the comparative of maz.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ļoti (very) with a comparative.

    Rīga ir ļoti lielāka par Jelgavu.
    Rīga ir daudz lielāka par Jelgavu.

    To say "much bigger", use daudz or krietni with a comparative. Ļoti goes with plain adjectives: ļoti liela.

  • Using the adjective to describe an action.

    Viņš skrien ātrāks nekā es.
    Viņš skrien ātrāk nekā es.

    Skriet is an action, so it needs the adverb ātrāk. Use ātrāks with a noun: ātrāks vilciens.

  • Forgetting that the comparative agrees with the noun.

    Šī māja ir lielāks.
    Šī māja ir lielāka.

    Māja is feminine, so the comparative takes the feminine ending: lielāka.

How It Connects

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Comparative -āksLevel 3Comparing: -āks

Learn This First

Comparatives are built on adjectives.

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Patterns that build on this one.