In this lesson, we will examine different degrees of comparison to compare nouns and indicating inequality in Arabic. We will study comparatives of inequality and superlatives.
Table of Contents
Comparatives of Inequality
One way of expressing degrees of comparison in Arabic is using comparatives. There are two forms used to express comparatives of inequality in Arabic:
Form #1: The pattern أَفْـعَـل (’af‘al) is used with simple underived adjectives:
| أَفْـعَـل مِـنْ | ’af‘al min | more … than |
For example:
| كَـبـيـر kabīr | big | أَكْـبَـرُ مِـنْ ’akbar(u) min | bigger than |
| صَـغـيـر ṣaghīr | small | أَصْـغَــرُ مِـنْ ’aṣ ghar(u) min | smaller than |
| طَـويـل ṭawīl | tall | أَطْـوَلُ مِـنْ ’aṭwal(u) min | taller than |
| قَـصـيـر qaṣīr | short | أَقْـصَـرُ مِـنْ ’aqṣar(u) min | shorter than |
| جَـمـيـل jamīl | beautiful | أَجْـمَـلُ مِـنْ ’ajmal(u) min | more beautiful than |
| واسِـع wāsi‘ | spacious | أَوْسَـعُ مِـنْ ’awsa‘(u) min | more spacious than |
Here are some examples in context:
| هِـيَ أَغْـنـى مِـنْ أُخْـتِـهـا٠ hiya ’aghnā min ’ukhtihā. She is richer than her sister. |
| أَخـي هُـوَ أَصْـبَـرُ مِـنّــي٠ ’akhī huwa ’aṣbaru minnī. My brother is more patient than me. |
| مَـديـنَـتُـنـا أَقْـدَمُ تـاريـخِـيًّـا مِـن الْـعـاصِـمَـةِ٠ madīnatunā ’aqdamu tārīkhiyyan min (a) -l-‘āṣimah. Our city is historically older than the capital. |
Remember that words following the pattern أَفْـعَـل (’af‘al) are diptotes and are declined according to the grammatical case as follows:
| Case | Indefinite Noun | Definite Noun |
| مَـرْفـوع (marfū‘) ‘nominative’ | ends with ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ أَفْـعَـلُ (’af‘alu) | ends with ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ الأْفْـعَـلُ (al-’af‘alu) |
| مَـنْـصوب (manṣūb) ‘accusative’ | ends with فَـتْـحَـة (fatḥah) ‘short a’ أَفْـعَـلَ (’af‘ala) | ends with فَـتْـحَـة (fatḥah) ‘short a’ الأَفْـعَـلَ (al-’af‘ala) |
| مَـجْـرور (majrūr) ‘genitive’ | ends with فَـتْـحَـة (fatḥah) ‘short a’ أَفْـعَـلَ (’af‘ala)* | ends with كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i’ الأْفْـعَـلِ (al-’af‘ali) |
* Except when it is مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed.’ In this case, it ends with a كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i,’ i.e., أَفْـعَـلِ (’af‘ali).
Some adjectives are irregular, such as:
| جَـيِّـدٌ jayyid(un) | good | أَفْـضَـلُ/أَحْـسَـنُ مِـنْ ’afḍal(u)/’aḥsan(u) min | better than |
Form #2: The following patterns can be used to express inequality:
| مِـنْ (verbal noun) أَكْـثَـر | ’akthar (verbal noun) min | more … than |
| مِـنْ (verbal noun) أَقَــلّ | ’aqall (verbal noun) min | less … than |
Derived adjectives, such as active and passive participles, use Form #2 instead of Form #1, which is often used with simple, underived adjectives. Here are some examples:
| مُـتَـسـامِـح mutasāmiḥ | tolerant | أَكْـثَـرُ تَـسـامُـحًـا مِـنْ ’akthar(u) tasāmuḥan min | more tolerant than |
| أَقَـلُّ تَـسـامُـحًـا مِـنْ ’aqall(u) tasāmuḥan min | less tolerant than | ||
| مُـتْـعَـب mut‘ab | tired | أَكْـثَـرُ تَـعَـبًـا مِـنْ ’akthar(u) ta‘aban min | more tired than |
| أَقَـلُّ تَـعَـبًـا مِـنْ ’aqall(u) ta‘aban min | less tired than |
Notice that the verbal noun is in the accusative case. The noun is grammatically classified as a تَـمْـيـيـز (tamyīz) ‘specification,’ a term used to specify kind or type. In Arabic, the تَـمْـيـيـز (tamyīz) ‘specification’ is always مَـنْـصوب (manṣūb) ‘accusative.’
Note that to express the meaning of “less … than …,” we must use Form #2, even with simple, underived adjectives.
Some simple, underived adjectives can use either pattern equally, such as:
| سَـهْـل sahl | easy | أَسْـهَـلُ مِـنْ ’as.hal(u) min | easier than |
| أَكْـثَـرُ سُـهـولَـةً مِـنْ ’akthar(u) suhūlatan min | |||
| شَـهـيـر shahīr | famous | أَشْـهَـرُ مِـنْ ’ash.har(u) min | more famous than |
| أَكْـثَـرُ شُـهْـرَةً مِـنْ ’akthar(u) shuhratan min | |||
| ذَكِـيّ dhakiyy | smart | أَذْكـى مِـنْ ’adhkā min | smarter than |
| أَكْـثَـرُ ذَكـاءً مِـنْ ’akthar(u) dhakā’an min |
Here are some examples in context:
| الـجَـوُّ أَقَـلُّ حَـرارَةً الـيَـوْم٠ al-jawwu ’aqallu ḥarāratan (i) -l-yawm. The weather is less hot today. |
| أَخـي هُـوَ أَكْـثَـرُ صَـبْـرًا مِـنّــي٠ ’akhī huwa ’aktharu ṣabran minni. My brother is more patient than me. |
| الْـمُـقـاتِـلُ أَكْـثَـرُ قُـوَّةً مِـنْ خَـصْـمِـه٠ al-muqātilu ’aktharu quwwatan min khaṣmih. The fighter is stronger than his opponent. |
Similarly, both أَكْـثَـر (’akthar) ‘more’ and أَقَـلّ (’aqall) ‘less’ are diptotes, and they are declined according to the grammatical case as explained earlier in this lesson.
Superlatives
Let us now examine another way of expressing degrees of comparison in Arabic, that is superlatives. There are two ways to express a high or extreme degree of an adjective:
Relative Superlatives
There are two ways to express relative superlatives in Arabic:
Form #1: The pattern الْأَفْـعَـلُ (al-’af‘al) is used with simple underived adjectives:
| الْأَفْـعَـلُ | al-’af‘al | the most … |
For example:
| كَـبـيـر kabīr | big | الْأَكْـبَـرُ al-’akbar(u) | the biggest |
| صَـغـيـر ṣaghīr | small | الْأَصْـغَــرُ al-’aṣghar(u) | the smallest |
| طَـويـل ṭawīl | tall | الْأَطْـوَلُ al-’aṭwal(u) | the tallest |
| قَـصـيـر qaṣīr | short | الْأَقْـصَـرُ al-’aqṣar(u) | the shortest |
| جَـمـيـل jamīl | beautiful | الْأَجْـمَـلُ al-’ajmal(u) | the most beautiful |
| واسِـع wāsi‘ | spacious | الْأَوْسَـعُ al-’awasa‘(u) | the most spacious |
Note that Form #1 can only be used to express the meaning of “the most ….” To express the meaning of “the least…,” we must use Form #2.
Form #2: The following patterns can be used to express superlatives:
| (verbal noun) الْأَكْـثَـر | al-’akthar (verbal noun) | the most … |
| (verbal noun) الْأَقَـلّ | al-’aqall (verbal noun) | the least … |
Derived adjectives, such as most active and passive participle patterns, use Form #2 instead of Form #1, which is often used with simple underived adjectives.
To express the meaning of “the least …,” we must use Form #2, even with simple underived adjectives.
Absolute Superlatives
One can express an absolute superlative by simply following the adjective with the adverb جِـدًّا (jiddan) ‘very’ or لِـلْـغَـايَـة (li-l-ghāyah) ‘extremely.’ For example:
| الْـقَـهْـوَةُ سـاخِـنَـةٌ جِـدًّا٠ al-qahwatu sākhinatun jiddan. The coffee is very hot. |
| هـذا الْـمَـكـانُ بـارِدٌ لِـلْـغَـايَـة ٠ hādhā -l-makānu bāridun li-l-ghāyah. This place is extremely cold. |
Next: Special-Use Particles, Nouns, & Pronouns
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