Day #2.8.2

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:

1. なに | nani | what
2. どこ | doko | where
3. いつ | itsu | when
4. だれ | dare | who