Mastering comparative adjectives is a crucial step in learning Romanian grammar. These adjectives allow you to compare two or more things, making your language more expressive and nuanced. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, understanding how to form and use comparative adjectives will greatly enhance your communication skills. In this article, we will delve into the rules and structures for forming comparative adjectives in Romanian and provide examples to help you transform simple sentences into more complex ones.
Understanding Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two entities. In English, we often add “-er” to the end of the adjective or use the word “more” before it (e.g., taller, more beautiful). Romanian also has its own rules for forming comparative adjectives, which we will explore in detail.
Basic Structure
In Romanian, the comparative form of adjectives can be formed in two primary ways:
1. By adding the suffix “-e” or “-i” to the adjective.
2. By using the words “mai” (more) or “mai puțin” (less) before the adjective.
For example:
– “frumos” (beautiful) becomes “mai frumos” (more beautiful).
– “inteligent” (intelligent) becomes “mai inteligent” (more intelligent).
Regular Comparative Forms
Let’s start with regular adjectives. These are adjectives that follow a predictable pattern when forming their comparative versions. Here are some examples:
1. **Adjective**: mare (big)
– **Comparative**: mai mare (bigger)
– **Example**: Casa aceasta este mai mare decât cealaltă. (This house is bigger than the other one.)
2. **Adjective**: mic (small)
– **Comparative**: mai mic (smaller)
– **Example**: Acest copil este mai mic decât fratele lui. (This child is smaller than his brother.)
3. **Adjective**: bun (good)
– **Comparative**: mai bun (better)
– **Example**: Acest film este mai bun decât celălalt. (This movie is better than the other one.)
4. **Adjective**: rău (bad)
– **Comparative**: mai rău (worse)
– **Example**: Vremea de azi este mai rău decât ieri. (Today’s weather is worse than yesterday.)
Irregular Comparative Forms
Just like in English, Romanian has some irregular adjectives that do not follow the regular comparative formation rules. Here are a few common ones:
1. **Adjective**: bun (good)
– **Comparative**: mai bun (better)
– **Example**: Acest vin este mai bun decât celălalt. (This wine is better than the other one.)
2. **Adjective**: rău (bad)
– **Comparative**: mai rău (worse)
– **Example**: Acest drum este mai rău decât celălalt. (This road is worse than the other one.)
3. **Adjective**: mult (much/many)
– **Comparative**: mai mult (more)
– **Example**: Am mai mult timp decât tine. (I have more time than you.)
4. **Adjective**: puțin (little/few)
– **Comparative**: mai puțin (less)
– **Example**: Ea are mai puțin bani decât mine. (She has less money than me.)
Using “Decât” and “Ca” for Comparisons
In Romanian, when making comparisons, you often use the words “decât” or “ca” to link the two entities being compared.
1. **Decât**: This word is used in negative comparisons.
– **Example**: El este mai înalt decât mine. (He is taller than me.)
2. **Ca**: This word is used in positive comparisons.
– **Example**: Maria este la fel de frumoasă ca și sora ei. (Maria is as beautiful as her sister.)
Forming Negative Comparisons
When forming negative comparisons, the structure is quite straightforward. You use “mai puțin” before the adjective and “decât” to introduce the entity being compared.
1. **Adjective**: interesant (interesting)
– **Comparative**: mai puțin interesant (less interesting)
– **Example**: Cartea aceasta este mai puțin interesantă decât cea pe care am citit-o ieri. (This book is less interesting than the one I read yesterday.)
2. **Adjective**: rapid (fast)
– **Comparative**: mai puțin rapid (less fast)
– **Example**: Mașina aceasta este mai puțin rapidă decât cealaltă. (This car is less fast than the other one.)
Forming Positive Comparisons
Positive comparisons are formed by using “mai” before the adjective and “decât” to introduce the entity being compared.
1. **Adjective**: tânăr (young)
– **Comparative**: mai tânăr (younger)
– **Example**: Fratele meu este mai tânăr decât mine. (My brother is younger than me.)
2. **Adjective**: vechi (old)
– **Comparative**: mai vechi (older)
– **Example**: Această clădire este mai veche decât cealaltă. (This building is older than the other one.)
Complex Sentences with Comparative Adjectives
Once you have a good grasp of forming comparative adjectives, you can start incorporating them into more complex sentences. This not only makes your Romanian more fluent but also allows you to express more detailed thoughts and ideas.
Comparative Clauses
Comparative clauses in Romanian often use “decât” or “ca și” to connect the two parts of the sentence. Here are some examples:
1. **Comparative Clause with “decât”**:
– **Example**: El este mai inteligent decât credeam. (He is more intelligent than I thought.)
2. **Comparative Clause with “ca și”**:
– **Example**: Ea este la fel de talentată ca și sora ei. (She is as talented as her sister.)
Double Comparatives
In Romanian, you can use double comparatives to emphasize the degree of comparison. This is usually done by repeating the comparative adjective.
1. **Example**: El este din ce în ce mai bun la matematică. (He is getting better and better at math.)
2. **Example**: Vremea devine din ce în ce mai rece. (The weather is getting colder and colder.)
Comparative Adjectives in Different Tenses
Comparative adjectives can be used in various tenses to describe actions or states in the past, present, or future.
1. **Past Tense**:
– **Example**: Ieri a fost mai cald decât azi. (Yesterday was warmer than today.)
2. **Present Tense**:
– **Example**: Această carte este mai interesantă decât filmul. (This book is more interesting than the movie.)
3. **Future Tense**:
– **Example**: Mâine va fi mai frig decât azi. (Tomorrow will be colder than today.)
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
As with any grammatical structure, there are common mistakes that learners often make when using comparative adjectives in Romanian. Here are some tips to help you avoid these pitfalls.
Mixing Up “mai” and “mai puțin”
One common mistake is confusing “mai” (more) with “mai puțin” (less). Remember that “mai” is used for positive comparisons, while “mai puțin” is used for negative comparisons.
1. **Incorrect**: El este mai puțin înalt decât mine. (He is more less tall than me.)
– **Correct**: El este mai înalt decât mine. (He is taller than me.)
2. **Incorrect**: Acest film este mai interesant decât celălalt. (This movie is less interesting than the other one.)
– **Correct**: Acest film este mai puțin interesant decât celălalt. (This movie is less interesting than the other one.)
Incorrect Use of “decât” and “ca”**
Another common mistake is using “decât” and “ca” incorrectly. Remember that “decât” is used in negative comparisons, while “ca” is used in positive comparisons.
1. **Incorrect**: Ea este mai frumoasă ca mine. (She is more beautiful as me.)
– **Correct**: Ea este mai frumoasă decât mine. (She is more beautiful than me.)
2. **Incorrect**: El este la fel de inteligent decât fratele lui. (He is as intelligent than his brother.)
– **Correct**: El este la fel de inteligent ca fratele lui. (He is as intelligent as his brother.)
Forgetting Agreement in Gender and Number
In Romanian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. This rule also applies to comparative adjectives.
1. **Incorrect**: Aceste fete sunt mai înalt decât băieții. (These girls are more tall than the boys.)
– **Correct**: Aceste fete sunt mai înalte decât băieții. (These girls are taller than the boys.)
2. **Incorrect**: Mașina aceasta este mai rapid decât cealaltă. (This car is more fast than the other one.)
– **Correct**: Mașina aceasta este mai rapidă decât cealaltă. (This car is faster than the other one.)
Practice Exercises
To solidify your understanding of comparative adjectives in Romanian, here are some practice exercises. Try to transform the following sentences using the appropriate comparative adjectives.
1. **Transform**: Acest câine este mare. (This dog is big.)
– **Comparative**: Acest câine este mai mare decât celălalt. (This dog is bigger than the other one.)
2. **Transform**: Maria este frumoasă. (Maria is beautiful.)
– **Comparative**: Maria este mai frumoasă decât Ana. (Maria is more beautiful than Ana.)
3. **Transform**: Cartea aceasta este interesantă. (This book is interesting.)
– **Comparative**: Cartea aceasta este mai interesantă decât filmul. (This book is more interesting than the movie.)
4. **Transform**: Acest copil este inteligent. (This child is intelligent.)
– **Comparative**: Acest copil este mai inteligent decât colegii lui. (This child is more intelligent than his classmates.)
5. **Transform**: Vremea este rece. (The weather is cold.)
– **Comparative**: Vremea este mai rece decât ieri. (The weather is colder than yesterday.)
Conclusion
Mastering the use of comparative adjectives in Romanian will significantly enhance your ability to describe and compare different entities, making your conversations richer and more detailed. By understanding the rules and practicing regularly, you’ll be able to transform simple sentences into more complex and expressive ones. Remember to pay attention to the agreement in gender and number, and don’t hesitate to practice with native speakers or language learning partners to solidify your skills. Happy learning!
