Comparative and superlative

...
     

أَفْعَل مِنْ

 

/ʼafʻal min/

 

Is specific to the Arabic language, as it represents the pattern/ form of how comparative is made

 

As in

 

كَبير -- أَكْبَرُ مِنْ

 

/ʼakbaru min/ /kabeer/

 

Big -- Bigger than

 
 
   

When building the comparative the adjective is always followed by

 

مِنْ

 

As in

 

سامي أَطْوَلُ مِنْ تومٍ

 

/saamee ʼaTwalu min tomin/

 

Sami is taller than Tom

 
 
   

Without

 

مِنْ 

 

the adjective will turn into superlative

 

As in

 

أَكْبَرُ بَيْتٍ

   

Comparative:

أَكْبَرُ مِنْ

   

Superlative:

أَكْبَرُ

 
   

Example:

 

عَظيم

 

/ʻaDHeem/

 

Great

 

أَعْظَم

 

/ʻaDham/

 

Greater

 
 
   

Example:

 

صَغير

 

/Sagheer/

 

Small

 

أَصْغَر

 

/ʼaSghar/

 

Smaller

 
 
   

Example:

 

طَويل

   

/Taweel/

   

Tall/ Long

أَطْوَل

   

/ʻaTwal/

 

Taller/ Longer

 
 
   

Adding الـ 

 

to superlative basic form and the nouns is another way to express superlative. Also, the position of the noun and the adjective will be reversed

 

As in

 

أَكْبَرُ بَيْتٍ... البَيْتُ الأَكْبَرُ

 
   

Examples:

   

أَفْضَلُ مِنْ

Better than

   

أَكْبَرُ مِنْ

Older than

   

أَصْغَرُ مِنْ

Smaller than 

 
 

 

ذَلِكَ

 

/Thalika/

 

Means

 

That (Masculine nouns)

 

As in

 

ذَلِكَ الكِتابُ

 

/Thalika ilkitaabu/

 

That book

 
 
   

تِلْكَ

 

/tilka/

 

Means

 

That (Feminine nouns)

 

As in

 

تِلْكَ الجامِعَةُ

 

/tilka iljaamiʻatu/

 

That university

 
 

 

يا

 

/yaa/

 

Is a vocative particle for both genders, it is followed by a noun or a proper noun

 

As in

 

يـا كَريمُ

 

/yaa kareemu/

 

Hey Kareem

 
 
   

Examples:

   

يا سَلْمى

 

/yaa salmaa/

 

Hey Salma

   

يـا رَجُلُ

 

/yaa rajulu/

 

Hey man

 
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