што је могуће + Comparative
As Much as Possible
To express 'as ... as possible' in Serbian, combine што је могуће (or simply што) with a comparative form, never a basic positive or superlative form.
How It Works
The construction што је могуће + компаратив conveys an attainable ceiling or maximal degree within real-world constraints ('as ... as possible').
1. Morphological Requirements:
Serbian analytically expresses this boundary value through a periphrastic construction, pairing the intensifying particle што with a comparative:
- Adverbs: Pairs with adverbial comparatives (e.g., што је могуће брже = 'as fast as possible'; што је могуће пре = 'as soon as possible').
- Adjectives: Pairs with adjectival comparatives, which decline to match their head noun in gender, number, and case (e.g., у што је могуће краћем року = 'in the shortest possible timeframe').
2. Register and Ellipsis:
- Full Formula: The full phrase што је могуће + компаратив is an explicit, emphatic construction commonly encountered in administrative, journalistic, and formal texts as well as deliberate spoken discourse.
- Condensed Formula: The shortened form што + comparative (e.g., што пре, што боље) is fully standard, unmarked, and frequent across all registers, including formal, literary, and everyday speech. Both variants carry essentially identical semantic meaning, with the longer formula adding extra stylistic weight or emphasis.
3. Word Order Variations:
While што је могуће + компаратив is standard, placing the comparative between the copula and могуће is also fully natural: што је брже могуће.
4. Key Distinction:
Unlike the standard superlative (најбољи), which identifies an objective extreme within a set, што (је могуће) + comparative expresses a situational limit dependent on capacity or circumstance.
Examples (4)
- Молимо вас да на овај допис одговорите што је могуће пре.
Please reply to this letter as soon as possible.
Word by Word: We-beg you that to this letter you-reply what is possible sooner.
Uses the comparative adverb пре ('sooner') with што је могуће to mean 'as soon as possible'.
- Циљ нам је да пројекат завршимо са што је могуће мањим трошковима.
Our goal is to finish the project with as few expenses as possible.
Word by Word: Goal to-us is that project we-finish with what is possible smaller expenses.
The comparative adjective мањим ('smaller / fewer') inflects in the instrumental plural to agree with трошковима.
- Покушај да што боље савладаш ово градиво.
Try to understand this material as well as possible.
Word by Word: Try that what better you-conquer this material.
Demonstrates the common spoken ellipsis where је могуће is dropped, leaving што + comparative.
- Важно је да говорите што је разговетније могуће.
It is important that you speak as clearly as possible.
Word by Word: Important is that you-speak what is clearer possible.
Illustrates the valid word order variant where the comparative adverb comes before могуће.
Common Mistakes
Using the base (positive) adjective or adverb instead of the comparative.
Јави ми се што је могуће брзо.Јави ми се што је могуће брже.English uses the base form ('as fast as possible'), but Serbian grammatically requires the comparative form (брже, not брзо).
Stacking the superlative prefix нај- onto the construction.
Пошаљи ми што најбољи извештај.Пошаљи ми што бољи извештај.The particle што already establishes the limit value; adding the superlative prefix нај- is pleonastic and considered non-standard.
Calquing English 'as ... as possible' literally using као.
Уради то како добро је могуће.Уради то што је могуће боље.Serbian does not translate equative 'as ... as' literally in this idiom; use што (је могуће) with a comparative instead.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'што је могуће + компаратив' (as ... as possible), learners must understand basic regular and adverbial comparative formations.
Related Patterns
- Comparing Things
Provides the morphological foundation for forming comparative adjectives and adverbs used in this construction.
Level 2 - што ... тоThe More the More
Another advanced construction using comparative forms with што to express proportional degree ('the more ... the more').
Level 5 - све + ComparativeIncreasing Degree
An intensifying structure that similarly modifies a comparative to describe gradual progression ('more and more').
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice што је могуће + Comparative in Bubblegum
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