daha
More (Comparison)
In Turkish, the word daha is placed before an adjective to mean 'more' or '-er'. For example, hızlı (fast) becomes daha hızlı (faster).
How It Works
The word daha is a versatile tool in Turkish. While its primary role is creating comparisons, it also functions as a temporal adverb and an intensifier.
1. Basic Comparison:
Place daha immediately before an adjective or adverb to mean 'more'.
- büyük (big) → daha büyük (bigger)
- hızlı (fast) → daha hızlı (faster)
2. Comparing Two Things:
To say 'X is [adjective]er than Y', the object Y must take the ablative case suffix. In this structure, daha is often used for emphasis but can be optional.
- Ali, Can'dan (daha) uzun. (Ali is taller than Can.)
3. Meaning 'Yet' and 'Still':
When daha is used as a temporal adverb, it can appear before verbs.
- In negative sentences: It means 'yet'. (e.g., Daha bitmedi. - It hasn't finished yet.)
- In positive sentences: It means 'still'. (e.g., Daha buradayım. - I am still here.)
4. Meaning 'Just' or 'Only':
When paired with time words like yeni (new/recently), it emphasizes that something happened very recently.
- Daha yeni geldim. (I just arrived / I only just came.)
5. Emphatic 'Even More' (daha da):
Adding the particle de/da after daha creates the meaning 'even more'.
- Bu film daha da güzel. (This movie is even more beautiful.)
6. Meaning 'Else' with Question Words:
When paired with question words like ne (what) or kim (who), it means 'else'.
- Daha ne istiyorsun? (What else do you want?)
7. Meaning 'Another' or 'One More':
When daha follows a quantity or the word bir, it means 'additional'.
- Bir tane daha... (One more piece...)
8. The 'Almost' Pitfall:
Pay close attention to word order with az:
- daha az: less (e.g., daha az şeker - less sugar)
- az daha: almost / nearly (e.g., az daha unutuyordum - I almost forgot)
Examples (5)
- Bu araba daha hızlı.
This car is faster.
Word by Word: This car more fast.
Here, 'daha' modifies the adjective 'hızlı' to create the comparative 'faster'.
- Bir tane daha elma istiyorum.
I want one more apple.
Word by Word: One piece more apple I-want.
When 'daha' follows a number or 'bir', it means 'more' or 'another'.
- Ayşe, Ali'den daha çok çalışıyor.
Ayşe works more than Ali.
Word by Word: Ayşe, Ali-from more much works.
To compare verbs, you must use 'daha çok' or 'daha fazla' (more much/more plenty) rather than just 'daha'.
- Bugün hava dünden daha soğuk.
Today the weather is colder than yesterday.
Word by Word: Today weather yesterday-from more cold.
Comparison between two time periods using the ablative case on 'dün' (yesterday).
- Az daha düşüyordum!
I almost fell!
Word by Word: Little more I-was-falling!
The fixed phrase 'az daha' means 'almost' or 'nearly'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'daha' directly before a verb to mean 'more'.
Ondan daha çalışıyorum.Ondan daha çok çalışıyorum.To say you do something 'more' than someone else, 'daha' needs 'çok' (much) or 'fazla' (plenty) before the verb. 'Daha' alone before a verb means other things, like 'still' or 'yet'.
Confusing 'daha az' (less) with 'az daha' (almost).
Az daha param var.Daha az param var.'Daha az' means 'less' (comparative). 'Az daha' is an idiom meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'. Word order is crucial here.
Forgetting the ablative case for the object of comparison.
Ali, Can daha hızlı.Ali, Can'dan daha hızlı.Without the -dan suffix on 'Can', the sentence just looks like a list of names. The ablative case creates the 'than' relationship.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'daha' for comparisons, you need to understand basic adjective placement and how to form sentences without verbs. Additionally, the ablative case (-den/-dan) is required to specify what something is being compared to.
- Adjectives Come First
Understanding how adjectives modify nouns is essential since 'daha' is used to modify adjectives in comparative structures.
Level 1 - Sentences Without a Verb
Comparative sentences using 'daha' are frequently structured as non-verbal sentences (e.g., 'Bu ev daha büyük').
Level 1 - -den/-dan (ayrılma hâli)Ablative Case
The ablative case is used to indicate the object of comparison (e.g., 'bundan daha büyük' - bigger than this).
Level 2
Related Patterns
- enThe Most (Superlative)
'En' is the superlative version of 'daha', used to mean 'the most' instead of 'more'.
Level 2 - kadar (eşitlik)As ... as
Used for comparisons of equality (as... as) rather than superiority (more than).
Level 2 - çok / az / birazVery, Little, A Bit
These words are used with 'daha' to specify the degree of difference or to create comparisons of inferiority.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice daha in Bubblegum
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