Comparing Adverbs

Level 3

Adverbs compare with -iau and -iausiai: gerai → geriau → geriausiai (well, better, best), greitai → greičiau → greičiausiai (quickly, faster, fastest).

How It Works

Building the forms

  • gerai → geriau → geriausiai (well, better, best)
  • gražiai → gražiau → gražiausiai (beautifully)
  • greitai → greičiau → greičiausiai (quickly): t → č
  • lėtai → lėčiau → lėčiausiai (slowly): t → č
  • Adverbs in -i work the same way: toli → toliau (far, farther), arti → arčiau (close, closer), anksti → anksčiau (early, earlier)
  • daug → daugiau → daugiausia (a lot, more, most); mažai → mažiau → mažiausiai (little, less, least)

The plain forms are covered in Adverbs in -ai.

Saying than

Adverbs use the same words as adjectives: Kalbu lietuviškai geriau negu pernai. (I speak Lithuanian better than last year.) Jis bėga greičiau už mane. (He runs faster than me.) See Than: Negu, Nei and Už.

Adverb or adjective?

When you describe a thing, use the adjective: geresnis telefonas (a better phone). When you describe how something is done, use the adverb: veikia geriau (works better). See Comparative Adjectives and Superlative Adjectives.

Useful phrases

  • Dabar skaitau geriau. (I read better now.)
  • Kuo greičiau. (As soon as possible.) See As ... As Possible With Kuo.
  • Greičiausiai often means most likely: Greičiausiai lis. (It will most likely rain.)

Examples (6)

  1. Dabar kalbu lietuviškai geriau negu pernai.

    Now I speak Lithuanian better than last year.

    Word by Word: Now (I) speak Lithuanian better than last-year.

  2. Kalbėkite lėčiau, prašau.

    Please speak more slowly.

    Word by Word: Speak more-slowly, please.

    lėtai becomes lėčiau: t changes to č.

  3. Jis bėga greičiau už mane.

    He runs faster than me.

    Word by Word: He runs faster than me.

    Už takes the accusative: mane.

  4. Kas iš jūsų dainuoja gražiausiai?

    Which of you sings most beautifully?

    Word by Word: Who of you sings most-beautifully?

  5. Rytoj ateik anksčiau.

    Come earlier tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow come earlier.

  6. Dabar skaitau geriau.

    I read better now.

    Word by Word: Now (I) read better.

    Geriau describes how I read.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the comparative adjective to describe how something is done.

    Jis bėga greitesnis už mane.
    Jis bėga greičiau už mane.

    Greitesnis describes a person or thing. To say how he runs, use the adverb greičiau.

  • Forming the comparative with daugiau.

    Kalbėkite daugiau lėtai.
    Kalbėkite lėčiau.

    For the comparative of lėtai, change the ending: lėčiau. Daugiau lėtai does not express “more slowly” in this sentence.

  • Keeping t before -iau.

    Važiuok greitiau!
    Važiuok greičiau!

    Before -iau, t becomes č: greitai → greičiau, lėtai → lėčiau.

How It Connects

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Comparing AdverbsLevel 3

Learn This First

Adverbs have comparative and superlative forms distinct from adjective forms.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

geriaugeriausiaigeraigreitaigreičiausiai