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Grammar / Level 1 / Lesson 21

Comparing things

By Daniel Buckley · 7 minute read · TOPIK 1

Vocabulary

  1. 키 - height
  2. 높다 - to be high, to be tall (of a mountain)
  3. 비싸다 - to be expensive
  4. 빠르다 - to be fast
  5. 맵다 - to be spicy
  6. 더 - more
  7. 덜 - less
  8. 제일 - the most
  9. 가장 - the most

Korean adjectives have no "-er" and no "-est". 커요 means "is big", and it also means "is bigger" as soon as the sentence gives it something to be bigger than.

So comparing doesn't change the adjective at all. You mark what you're measuring against, and if you want, you add a small word in front of the adjective.

보다: than

보다 is a particle, and it goes on the thing you're measuring against. The clearest way to read it is "compared to". So 오늘은 어제보다 추워요 says "today is cold compared to yesterday", which English would turn into "colder than".

Comparing with 보다

  • The thing you're measuring against: add 보다, then the adjective.어제보다 추워요버스보다 빨라요
  • The order can change. 보다 stays on the same noun, and the meaning stays the same.기차가 버스보다 빨라요버스보다 기차가 빨라요

  1. 오늘은 어제보다 추워요.

    Today is cold compared to yesterday.

  2. 기차가 버스보다 빨라요.

    Train is fast compared to bus.

  3. 저는 친구보다 키가 커요.

    I am tall compared to friend.

  4. 서울보다 부산이 따뜻해요.

    Compared to Seoul, Busan is warm.

  5. 저는 빵보다 밥을 좋아해요.

    I like rice compared to bread.

※ Don't mix this 보다 up with the verb 보다, to see. The particle sits on a noun and never changes.

더 and 덜: more and less

더 means "more" and goes right before the adjective or verb. With 보다 it's optional, but people add it so often that a sentence with both is the normal way to compare. Without 보다, the comparison is left for the listener to fill in.

  1. 오늘은 어제보다 더 추워요.

    Today is more cold compared to yesterday.

  2. 이 가방이 더 비싸요.

    This bag is more expensive.

  3. 저는 커피보다 차를 더 좋아해요.

    I like tea more compared to coffee.

  4. 밥을 더 먹고 싶어요.

    (I) want to eat more rice.

덜 is the opposite, "less", and it sits in the same spot.

  1. 오늘은 어제보다 덜 추워요.

    Today is less cold compared to yesterday.

  2. 이 김치는 덜 매워요.

    This kimchi is less spicy.

  3. 요즘은 커피를 덜 마셔요.

    These days (I) drink coffee less.

※ For "much more", put 훨씬 in front of the adjective: 기차가 버스보다 훨씬 빨라요. The train is much faster than the bus.

가장 and 제일: the most

가장 and 제일 both mean "the most", and both go right before the adjective or verb. In sentences like these they're interchangeable. 제일 is what you'll mostly hear in conversation, and 가장 turns up more in writing and the news.

To say what group you're talking about, use 에서, "in", or 중에서, "among". 중 is a noun for the middle of a group, so 가족 중에서 is "in the middle of the family". The adjective can then sit before a noun, using the ㄴ/은 form from lesson 10.

  1. 이 식당이 제일 맛있어요.

    This restaurant is the most delicious.

  2. 저는 여름을 제일 좋아해요.

    I like summer the most.

  3. 우리 가족 중에서 제가 키가 제일 커요.

    Among our family, I am the most tall.

  4. 서울은 한국에서 가장 큰 도시예요.

    Seoul is the most big city in Korea.

  5. 한국에서 가장 높은 산은 한라산이에요.

    In Korea the most high mountain is Hallasan.

Who's taller?

Because the order can change, position won't tell you who wins. Find 보다 first: the person it's attached to is the one being measured against. So in each sentence below, who is taller?

  1. 민수는 지아보다 키가 커요.

  2. 민수보다 지아가 키가 커요.

  3. 지아보다 민수가 키가 더 커요.

  4. 민수는 지아보다 키가 작아요.

  5. 지아는 민수보다 키가 더 커요.

  6. 지아가 민수보다 키가 작아요.

Asking which one

To ask which of two things someone prefers, join them with 하고, add 중에서, and ask with 뭐가 더. For a whole category, ask with 제일.

A

커피하고 차 중에서 뭐가 더 좋아요?

Coffee and tea among, what is more good?

B

저는 차가 더 좋아요. 커피는 너무 써요.

I, tea is more good. Coffee is too bitter.

A

무슨 차를 제일 좋아해요?

What tea the most like?

B

녹차를 제일 좋아해요.

Green tea the most like.

Now fill the gaps.

  1. 저는 동생___ 키가 커요.

    I'm taller than my younger sibling.

  2. 오늘은 어제보다 ___ 추워요.

    Today isn't as cold as yesterday.

  3. 우리 가족 중에서 제가 키가 ___ 작아요.

    I'm the shortest in my family.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 기차가 더 버스보다 빨라요.

    기차가 버스보다 더 빨라요.

    English keeps "more than" together. In Korean 보다 stays with its noun and 더 stays with the adjective.

  2. 기차가 보다 버스 빨라요.

    기차가 버스보다 빨라요.

    보다 comes after its noun, like every other particle. "Than the bus" is 버스보다.

  3. 제일 친구를 만났어요.

    제일 친한 친구를 만났어요.

    제일 can't go straight before a noun like 친구. It needs an adjective or a verb to lean on: 친한 친구 is a close friend, so "best friend" is "most close friend".

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

오늘은 ___ 추워요. (어제) Today is colder than yesterday.

Which word gets 보다?

Summary

Comparing

  • 보다 goes on the thing you're measuring against.버스보다 빨라요
  • 더 and 덜 go right before the adjective or verb.버스보다 더 빨라요어제보다 덜 추워요
  • 제일 and 가장 mean "the most" and go in the same spot.한국에서 제일 큰 도시

Now you can say

  1. 오늘은 어제보다 더 추워요.

    Today is more cold compared to yesterday.

  2. 저는 커피보다 차를 더 좋아해요.

    I like tea more compared to coffee.

  3. 이 식당이 제일 맛있어요.

    This restaurant is the most delicious.

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