Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparatives [~보다]

~보다 is used to compare two persons or things. The person/thing that 보다 is referring to is the one that comes after "~er than" in English. The "~보다" phrase can also come before a subject. So the sentences below have the same meaning.

Note: 이/가 particles are more frequently used than 은/는 particles, and in the spoken Korean, almost exclusively 이/가 are used. 

• 나는 동생보다 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 내가 동생보다 키가 크다 = "I" am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 동생보다 내가 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 동생보다 내가 키가 커 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [spoken form]
• 동생보다 제가 키가 커요 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [formal spoken form]

동생보다 = than younger sibling
동생 = younger sibling
키 = height
크다 = big
키가 크다 = tall
키가 작다 = short
나 = I
내 = 나 changes to 내 before 이/가
제 = the honorific form of 내 used in formal expressions

더 is usually added before an adjective. 더 = more

More examples

• 동물보다 사람이 더 똑똑하다 = Man is cleverer than an animal.
• 나일강이 아마존강보다 더 길다 = The Nile River is longer than the Amazon River.
• 철이 구리보다 강하다 = Iron is stronger than copper.
• 피는 물보다 진하다 = Blood is thicker than water.

• 진수가 진호보다 더 빨라요 = Jinsu is faster than Jinho.
  
• 저보다 형이 더 잘해요 = My older brother does it better than me.
• 빵보다 밥이 더 좋아요 = I like rice more than bread.

Superlatives [제일]

제일 is added before an adjective to make it a superlative.

• 진수가 제일 빠르다 = Jinsu is the fastest
• 치타가 육지 동물중에서 제일 빠르다 = The cheetah is the fastest among the land animals.
• 에베레스트산은 세계에서 제일 높다 = Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
  
• 피자가 세계에서 제일 맛있는 음식이다 = Pizza is the most delicious food in the world.
• 제일 아름다운 것은 사랑이에요 = The most beautiful thing is love. [formal spoken form] (Nouns - Present, Past)

세계 = world
맛있다 = delicious
맛있는 = delicious [descriptive form] Adjectives - Descriptive
아름다운 = beautiful [descriptive form]
것 = thing