Chapter 6: Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

	Introduction
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Chapter 6

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

   Only qualitative adjectives can have a superlative or comparative form. If an English adjective can be used comparatively or superlatively, the equivalent Belarusian adjective most likely can as well. By the same token, if the English adjective cannot be used comparatively or superlatively, the Belarusian adjective probably cannot also.

6.1       Short comparative adjective formation

   The short comparative form of an adjective is identical to the comparative adverb. The comparative adverb is formed by removing the final -ы or -і and replacing it with an accented -ей. See Section 29.4 for more on the comparative adverb.

бедны	poor	бядней	poorer
белы	white	бялей	whiter
важны	important	важней	more important
вольны	free	вальней	more free
вясёлы	fun	весялей	more fun
дакладны	precise	дакладней	more precise
ранні	early	раней	earlier

If the last consonant of the adjective is invariably non-palatized, the final -ы is replaced with -эй.

мудры	wise	мудрэй	wiser
прыгожы	beautiful	прыгажэй	more beautiful
хітры	cunning	хітрэй	more cunning

For adjectives ending in -ты or -ды, the ending is removed and replaced with one of the accented endings -цей or -дзей respectively.

багаты	rich	багацей	richer
густы	thick, viscous	гусцей	thicker, more viscous
жоўты	yellow	жаўцей	more yellow
малады	young	маладзей	younger
просты	simple	прасцей	simpler
тоўсты	thick, fat	таўсцей	thicker, fatter
цвёрды	hard, firm	цвярдзей	harder, firmer
чысты	clean	чысцей	cleaner

There are a number of irregular comparative adjectives.

высокі	high	вышей	higher
глыбокі	deep	глыбей	deeper
далёкі	far	далей	farther
шырокі	wide	шырей	wider

блізкі	near	бліжей	nearer
вузкі	narrow	вужэй	narrower
гладкі	smooth	гладзей	smoother
кароткі	short	карацей	shorter
салодкі	sweet	саладзей	sweeter

глухі	deaf	глушэй	deafer
дарагі	expensive	даражэй	more expensive
доўгі	long	даўжэй	longer
лёгкі	light	лягчэй	lighter
мяккі	soft	мякчэй	softer
ціхі	quiet	цішэй	quieter
хуткі	fast	хутчэй	faster

6.2 Short comparative adverb usage

Because short comparative adjectives are adverbs, they do not decline and can only be used predicatively.

Я маладзей за яго.	I am younger than him.
Кожнаму хацелася стаць бліжэй да вады.	Each wanted to get closer to the water.

6.3 Irregular short comparative adjectives

A small number of adjectives have unique short comparative adjective forms, separate from their short comparative adverb form. These adjectives all end in -шы, decline like other adjectives, and are not limited to predicate usage.

вялікі	big	большы	bigger
добры	good	лепшы	better
дрэнны	bad	горшы	worse
малы	small	меншы	smaller

Some examples of usage of short comparative adjectives are given.

Сам быў не ў лепшым стане.	I myself was not in any better shape.
Там былі яблыкі болшыя,чым тут.	The apples were bigger over there than here.

The adjective малады, young, has the normal short comparative form маладзей, but it also has an additional short comparative form малодшы, which has the specialized meaning of junior. The adjective стары does not have a normal short comparative form, but there is the specialized word старшы, which means older, or senior. Both малодшы and старшы are used like any normal adjective.

Малодшы лейтэнант камандаваў мінамётнай ротай.	The junior lieutenant commanded the mortar company.
Апроч мяне была ў маці яшчэ дачка, мая сястра старшая.	My mother had another daughter besides me, my older sister.

6.4       Long comparative adjectives

   Adjectives that do not have a short comparative form can be used comparatively by placing either больш, more, or менш, less, before the word.

Я больш палітычны, чым вы разам узятыя.	I am more tactful than both of you combined.
Беражок ля ямы стаў больш зручны.	The rim around the hole became more convenient.

6.5 Superlatives ending in -ейшы or -эйшы

Any adjective which has a short comparative form can form a superlative by appending the ending -шы to that short comparative form. Adjectives without a short comparative form that ends in -ей or -эй do not have a unique superlative form.

бядней	poorer	бяднейшы	poorest
бялей	whiter	бялейшы	whitest
даражэй	more expensive	даражэйшы	most expensive
карацей	shorter	карацейшы	shortest
мякчэй	softer	мякчэйшы	softest
раней	earlier	ранейшы	earliest

The adjective стары, old, has no short comparative form, but does have the superlative старэйшы, oldest.

6.6 Superlatives using the adverb самы

The superlative form of any qualitative adjective can be formed by placing the adjective самы, most, before the adjective and by then declining самы to agree with the adjective. This is the form used for adjectives that do not have a superlative form ending in -ейшы or -эйшы, like the adjectives discussed in Section 6.3.

Яны стаялі перад самым крутым узгоркам.	They stood in front of the steepest hill.
А ўвогуле розум — не самае галоўнае ў чалавеку.	Generally, the mind is not the most important thing to a person.

6.8 Superlatives with the prefix най-

This prefix can be appended to ordinary superlatives, the comparative adjectives mentioned in Section 6.3, or to adjectives that normally has no special superlative form. The prefix най- slightly changes the meaning of the word. A normal superlative indicates that the characteristic of the noun is the extreme when compared to others. When the prefix най- is appended, the meaning indicates that the characteristic of the adjective is extreme, regardless of whether it is compared to others or not.

Гэта — найбольшы знак для гарадка, што заўтра вайна.	This is a really big sign for the town that war is tomorrow.
Гэтую даведку, бы найдаражэйшы дакумент, яна загарнула ў паперку.	She buried this affidavit in the papers, as if it were a most valuable document.
Я калісьці буду найпершы.	Someday I will be the very first.

<< Chapter 5: Adjective Declension		Chapter 7: Personal Pronouns >>
	Introduction

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