Lesson 12 (Part III)
- Comparative statements (between 2 objects)
- Superlative statements (asking which is the best/ most ~)
1a. COMPARATIVE – comparing 2 objects with adjectives
To compare and contrast two objects, we use the word ‘より | yori’, which is an extension of the adjective (both ‘i’ and ‘na’), like how in English there is “pretty” and “prettier“. In Japanese, ‘より | yori’ acts as the “er” part of the adjective.
If we want to posit that Japan is bigger than Singapore, we say
日本は シンガポール より 大きいです。 | Japan is bigger than Singapore.
Sentence structure: Subject that the adjective is applied to + *particle wa + Subject that the adjective is not applied to + より | yori + adjective
タイのカレーは 日本のカレーより からいです。| Thai food is spicier than Japanese food.
タイのカレーは 日本のカレーより ずっと からいです。 | Thai food is much spicier than Japanese food.
ほっかいどう は おおさか より すずしいです。| Hokkaido is cooler than Osaka.
1b. COMPARATIVE – choosing between 2 objects
‘どちら | dochira’ means “which one”, as in which between the two ~.
サッカーと やきゅうとどちら が すきですか。 | Which one do you like, soccer or baseball?
Sentence structure: Object A + *particle to + Object B + *particle to + ‘どちら | dochira’ + *particle ga + adjective
– – – – – – サッカーのほうが すきです。 | I like soccer.
いぬと ねことどちら が かわいいですか。 | Which one is cuter, cat or dog?
– – – – – – どちらも かわいいで 。 | Both are cute.
1c. COMPARATIVE – choosing one object over another (subset of choosing between 2 objects)
ぎゅうにゅうより ジュース のほが すきです。 | I like juice more than milk.
Here, the positions of the nouns change.
In 1a, A は B より [adjective] means A is more [adjective] than B.
But when choosing an object over something else, the structure becomes A より B のほうが [adjective]. This means B is more [adjective] than A.
Conversation at the table:
A: くだもの は いかがですか。
B: ありがとう ございます。
A: みかん と りんご と どちら が いいですか。
B: ええと、りんご を おねがいします。
2. SUPERLATIVE
For superlative sentences, we ask what is the “most” or the “best” out of a category. For example, to ask what one’s most favourite fruit is, we say:
くだもの で なに が いちばん すき ですか。| What fruit do you like the most?
Sentence structure: Category + *particle de + question word (‘なに | nani’ / ‘どこ | doko’) + *particle ga + ‘いちばん | ichiban’ + adjective
– – – – – – りんご が いちばん 好きです。 | I like apples the most.
Some typical question words:
- なに | nani | what
- どこ | doko | where
- いつ | itsu | when
- だれ | dare | who