A comparative adjective says that one thing has more of a quality than another: "taller", "higher", "braver".
Can recognize Comparatives recognition in a short Latin prompt
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
My brother is taller than I am.
Nothing is faster than the mind.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
A comparative adjective says that one thing has more of a quality than another: "taller", "higher", "braver". Latin forms it with a clear signal you can learn once and spot everywhere: the ending -ior (neuter -ius) added to the adjective stem.
| Plain | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| altus (high) | altior | higher, taller |
| fortis (brave) | fortior | braver |
| longus (long) | longior | longer |
| felix (lucky) | felicior | luckier |
To say "than", Latin has two options. It can use the word quam followed by the same case: Mārcus altior quam Iūlia est = "Mārcus is taller than Julia." Or it can drop quam and put the thing compared in the ablative case: Mārcus altior Iūlia est, meaning exactly the same thing.
Examples:
For English speakers: two traps. First, do not expect a "more" word. English can say "more brave"; Latin packs that comparison into the -ior ending, so fortior is one word meaning "braver". Second, the word "than" is not always there. When you see a comparative and then a noun in the ablative with no quam, supply the "than" yourself. Spot the -ior / -ius ending and you have found a comparison.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesMy brother is taller than I am.
Altior is the comparative in -ior, and quam introduces what is compared - like English 'than'.
Nothing is faster than the mind.
Here the ablative mente replaces quam. Both constructions are ordinary Latin.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises