по сравнению с + Instrumental

Compared with

Level 5Sounds Like po sravneniû s + tvoritelʹnyj

Use по сравнению с + instrumental case to say 'compared with' or 'in comparison to' in neutral and formal Russian.

How It Works

The construction по сравнению с is a high-frequency tool in Russian for both quantitative and qualitative comparisons. A slightly more formal synonym is в сравнении с, which functions identically.

1. Case Requirement:
It strictly requires the instrumental case because of the preposition с. For example: по сравнению с планом (compared with the plan).

2. Phonological Variation:
The preposition с changes to со before certain consonant clusters to maintain flow:

  • Before the pronoun мной: по сравнению со мной (compared with me).
  • Before words starting with с, з, ш, ж followed by another consonant: по сравнению со статистикой (compared with the statistics).

3. Register and Usage:
This pattern is the standard in academic, business, and journalistic Russian. A key advantage is that по сравнению с does not require a comparative adjective to function; it can simply establish a relationship between two facts (e.g., Продажи выросли по сравнению с прошлым годом). In casual speech, speakers might use the чем construction, but чем must follow a comparative adjective. По сравнению с can be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence to provide context.

4. Punctuation:
Commas are generally optional. However, it is more standard to set the phrase off with a comma when it appears at the very beginning of a sentence to establish the context for the main clause. They are also used if you want to treat the phrase as a parenthetical 'aside' for emphasis.

Examples (4)

  1. По сравнению со мной, мой брат очень высокий.

    Compared with me, my brother is very tall.

    Word by Word: By comparison with me, my brother very tall.

    Note the use of 'со' before 'мной' and the instrumental case for the pronoun.

  2. В этом квартале прибыль выросла на 10% по сравнению с прошлым годом.

    In this quarter, profit grew by 10% compared with last year.

    Word by Word: In this quarter profit grew by 10% by comparison with past year.

    A typical statistical comparison using the instrumental case for 'прошлым годом'.

  3. Результаты оказались скромными по сравнению с нашими ожиданиями.

    The results turned out to be modest compared with our expectations.

    Word by Word: Results turned out modest by comparison with our expectations.

    Here, an abstract concept (expectations) serves as the baseline for comparison.

  4. Этот город кажется маленьким по сравнению с Москвой.

    This city seems small compared with Moscow.

    Word by Word: This city seems small by comparison with Moscow.

    Comparing two specific entities using the instrumental case for 'Москвой'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Genitive case instead of the Instrumental.

    по сравнению с прошлого года
    по сравнению с прошлым годом

    Learners often confuse this with other comparative structures that use the genitive. Always use the instrumental case after 'с' in this pattern.

  • Using the preposition 'к' instead of 'с'.

    по сравнению к плану
    по сравнению с планом

    This error often stems from confusion with the phrase 'по отношению к' (in relation to). 'По сравнению' always pairs with 'с'.

How It Connects

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

по сравнению с + InstrumentalLevel 5Compared with

Learn This First

To use 'по сравнению с', a learner needs to be comfortable with the instrumental case, as the preposition 'с' governs it here. Additionally, since comparisons often involve time expressions or modified nouns, knowledge of adjective agreement in oblique cases is essential. Understanding verbal nouns is also helpful as the core of the expression is derived from the verb 'сравнить' (to compare).

Words in This Pattern

по сравнению ссравнение