Comparatives recognition

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: Marcus altior quam Iulia est = "Marcus is taller than Julia." Or it can drop quam and put the thing compared in the ablative case: Marcus altior Iulia est, meaning exactly the same thing.

Examples:

• Mons altior est. = The mountain is higher.
• Leo fortior quam canis est. = The lion is braver than the dog.
• Via longior via est. = The road is longer than the road (i.e. than the other one).

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.