Turkish comparatives are easier than English ones. There are no special forms like “bigger”, “better” or “worse”: you put (more) before any adjective, and the thing you compare with takes the ending -den (from). = Ali is taller than Can.
Superlatives are just as simple: put (most) before the adjective. = the tallest, = the best. One word for “more”, one word for “most”, and they work with every adjective.
The pattern
AliplusCan'danthan Canplusdahamoreplusuzuntall
Comparatives: -den daha
The order is: first the person or thing you are talking about, then the one you compare it with plus -den, then , and the adjective last. is literally “Ali, from Can, more tall”.
AliCan'dandahauzun.
Word by word: Ali, from-Can, more, tall.Ali is taller than Can.
Tren otobüsten daha hızlı.
The train is faster than the bus.
Çay kahveden daha ucuz.
Tea is cheaper than coffee.
Buevbizimevdendahabüyük.
Word by word: this, house, our, from-house, more, big.This house is bigger than ours.
Why?
Think of measuring from a starting point: “starting from Can, Ali is more tall”. That’s why the ending that means “from” also means “than”.
Kerem’s note
Tip: is often left out when -den is there: means the same. Without -den, alone means “more” or “-er”: = This one is better. = Which one is cheaper?
The “than” ending: -den, -dan, -ten, -tan
-den is the ablative case, the “from” ending. Its vowel follows two-way harmony: -den after e, i, ö, ü and -dan after a, ı, o, u. After a name, an apostrophe comes first: , .
train · last vowel e
tren
trenden: the last vowel is e, a front vowel, so the ending has e.
- last vowel e
- front
- ending vowel e
than the train
The ending:Ending: d or t, here d, e or a, here e, n
After one of the hard consonants ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t, the d becomes t: -ten or -tan.
Fıstıkçı Şahap
“Şahap the pistachio seller”: its consonants are the hard letters f s t k ç ş h p.
After these letters:d becomes tc becomes ç
- otobüsbusdenfrom
than the bus
- kitapbookdanfrom
than the book
- uçakplanedanfrom
than the plane
No hard letter, no change
- kahvecoffeedenfrom
than coffee: e is a vowel
e is not a hard letter, so d stays d.
- trentraindenfrom
than the train: n is not a hard letter
n is not a hard letter, so d stays d.
Tip: It is the same ending as in (I’m coming from Istanbul). Our guide to Turkish cases shows all six case endings side by side.
Than me, than you: benden, senden
Pronouns take the same ending: ben + den = benden (than me). You will use these all the time when you compare people.
| Pronoun | than … |
|---|---|
| ben | bendenfrom |
| sen | sendenfrom |
| o | ondanfrom |
| biz | bizdenfrom |
| siz | sizdenfrom |
| onlar | onlardanfrom |
Sen benden daha çalışkansın.
You’re more hard-working than me.
Biz sizden daha hızlıyız.
We’re faster than you.
Kardeşim ondan daha komik.
My brother is funnier than him.
Bu çanta şundan daha güzel.
This bag is nicer than that one.
Tip: o adds an n before the ending: (than him, than her, than it). and do the same: (than this one), (than that one).
When the subject is ben, sen, biz or siz, the “to be” ending goes on the adjective at the end, as usual: If these endings are new to you, see our guide to the verb “to be” in Turkish.
Older, younger, less and much more
For age, Turkish uses (big) and (small): = My sister is older than me. means “old” in the sense of elderly, so it doesn’t work for “older than”. To say by how much, put the number of years before büyük or küçük: (three years older).
Ablambendenüçyaşbüyük.
Word by word: my-older-sister, from-me, three, year, big.My older sister is three years older than me.
Kardeşimbendenikiyaşküçük.
Word by word: my-sibling, from-me, two, year, small.My younger brother is two years younger than me.
means “less”, “a bit more” and “much more”. They work with adjectives and with verbs: (with less sugar), (a bit slower), (much faster), (I’m working less).
Metroçokdahahızlı.
Word by word: metro, much, more, fast.The metro is much faster.
Birazdahayavaşkonuşurmusunuz?
Word by word: a-bit, more, slow, you-speak, ?.Could you speak a bit more slowly?
Buyıldahaazçalışıyorum.
Word by word: this, year, more, little, I’m-working.This year I’m working less.
Tip: After a noun, means “one more” or “another”: = One more tea, please. = We’ll stay two more days.
As … as: kadar
To say two things are equal, put (as much as) after the thing you compare with: = Ali is as tall as Can. In the negative, it means “not as … as”: = Izmir isn’t as crowded as Istanbul.
With pronouns, kadar takes the “of” form: (as … as me), senin kadar, onun kadar, , sizin kadar. Only stays as it is: .
Kardeşimbenimkadaruzun.
Word by word: my-brother, of-me, as-much-as, tall.My brother is as tall as me.
İzmirİstanbulkadarkalabalıkdeğil.
Word by word: Izmir, Istanbul, as-much-as, crowded, not.Izmir isn’t as crowded as Istanbul.
Hiçbiryerevkadarrahatdeğil.
Word by word: no, place, home, as-much-as, comfortable, not.Nowhere is as comfortable as home.
Superlatives: en
Put before an adjective to say “the most …” or “the …-est”. Nothing else changes, and en never changes its shape: (the biggest), (the best), (the most beautiful).
| Adjective | daha (more) | en (the most) |
|---|---|---|
Adjective
- daha (more)
- en (the most)
Adjective
- daha (more)
- en (the most)
Adjective
- daha (more)
- en (the most)
Adjective
- daha (more)
- en (the most)
Adjective
- daha (more)
- en (the most)
Buenucuztelefon.
Word by word: this, most, cheap, phone.This is the cheapest phone.
EniyiarkadaşımElif.
Word by word: most, good, my-friend, Elif.My best friend is Elif.
Ençokçayiçerim.
Word by word: most, much, tea, I-drink.I drink tea the most.
Kimenazuyudu?
Word by word: who, most, little, slept.Who slept the least?
Why?
English needs “best”, “biggest” and “most beautiful”. Turkish just puts one little word in front: , , . Learn once and it works everywhere, with and too: (the most), (the least).
Kerem’s note
The best in the class, the highest in the world
For “in the class” or “in the family”, use the “in” ending -de / -da (-te / -ta after a hard letter): (the tallest in the class), (the youngest in the family).
SınıftaenuzunöğrenciCan.
Word by word: in-the-class, most, tall, student, Can.The tallest student in the class is Can.
Ailedeengençbenim.
Word by word: in-the-family, most, young, it’s-me.I’m the youngest in the family.
For “the highest mountain in the world”, Turkish says “the world’s highest mountain”: . The first noun takes the “’s” ending (-in / -ın / -un / -ün, with an n first after a vowel: ) and the second noun takes -i / -ı / -u / -ü (with an s first after a vowel: ). These are the possessive endings.
A specific owner
owner-(n)in“of / ’s”
thing-(s)i“his / her / its”
- dünyaworldnglueınof / ’senyüksekdağmountainıhis / her / its
the highest mountain in the worlda specific owner
- Türkiye'ninof / ’senbüyükşehrcityihis / her / its
Türkiye’s biggest citya specific owner
- sınıfclassınof / ’seniyiöğrencistudentsglueihis / her / its
the best student in the classa specific owner
DünyanınenyüksekdağıEverest.
Word by word: the-world’s, most, high, its-mountain, Everest.The highest mountain in the world is Everest.
İstanbul, Türkiye'nin en büyük şehri.
Istanbul is Türkiye’s biggest city.
Bu, şehrin en iyi restoranı.
This is the best restaurant in the city.
In Türkiye
Türkiye’s highest mountain
Türkiye’s highest mountain is (Mount Ararat) in the far east, at 5,137 m. Its biggest city is Istanbul, but the capital is Ankara.
Türkiye'nin en yüksek dağı Ağrı Dağı.
Türkiye’s highest mountain is Mount Ararat.
My favorite: en sevdiğim
means “my favorite”, literally “the one I love most”. Learn it as a set phrase: (my favorite), (your favorite). The noun comes right after it.
Ensevdiğimrenkmavi.
Word by word: most, that-I-love, color, blue.My favorite color is blue.
Ensevdiğinyemekne?
Word by word: most, that-you-love, food, what.What’s your favorite food?
En sevdiğim mevsim sonbahar.
My favorite season is fall.
Common mistakes
Watch out
Not:Ali daha uzun Can'dan.
Say:Ali Can'dan daha uzun.
English says “taller than Can”, but in Turkish the “than” part comes first: Can'dan, then daha uzun.
Watch out
Not:Otobüs trene daha yavaş.
Say:Otobüs trenden daha yavaş.
“Than” is the “from” ending -den, not the “to” ending -e: .
Watch out
Not:otobüsden
Say:otobüsten
s is a hard letter, so the d of the ending becomes t: , , .
Watch out
Not:Ali benden yaşlı.
Say:Ali benden büyük.
For “older than”, use (big). means “elderly”, so it sounds odd, even rude, about a friend.
Watch out
Not:Hangi daha ucuz?
Say:Hangisi daha ucuz?
(which) needs a noun after it: On its own, use (which one).
Watch out
Not:Dünyanın en yüksek dağ Everest.
Say:Dünyanın en yüksek dağı Everest.
After a word with -nın / -nin (’s), the noun needs its own ending too: , .
A short dialogue
Read or listen, then answer
Which phone does Ece buy?
Ece
Merhaba, yeni bir telefon arıyorum. Hangisi daha iyi?
Satıcı
Bu model ötekinden daha yeni ve kamerası çok daha iyi.
Ece
Peki, hangisi daha ucuz?
Satıcı
Bu biraz daha pahalı, ama pili daha uzun dayanıyor.
Ece
En ucuz telefonunuz hangisi?
Satıcı
Şu siyah olan. Ama bence en iyi seçenek bu.
Ece
Kardeşimin telefonu bundan daha büyük. Bu biraz küçük değil mi?
Satıcı
Evet, ama çok daha hafif. Çantanıza kolayca sığar.
Ece
Tamam, bunu alıyorum!
Spot the comparisons: , , , , , , , , and .
Summary
| How | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| More … than | thing + -den / -dan / -ten / -tan + daha + adjective | |
| Than me, than you | benden, senden, ondan, bizden, sizden, onlardan | |
| Less | daha az + adjective | |
| As … as | thing + kadar + adjective | |
| The most | en + adjective |
More … than
- How
- thing + -den / -dan / -ten / -tan + daha + adjective
- Example
Than me, than you
- How
- benden, senden, ondan, bizden, sizden, onlardan
- Example
Less
- How
- daha az + adjective
- Example
As … as
- How
- thing + kadar + adjective
- Example
The most
- How
- en + adjective
- Example