Poređenje prideva
Overview
Serbian adjectives have three degrees - позитив (positive, the plain form from basic-adjectives-a1), компаратив (comparative, more/-er) and суперлатив (superlative, most/-est) - both built by changing the adjective's own ending.
The regular comparative - -ији
Most adjectives, including every -ан adjective with the fleeting a from basic-adjectives-a1, form the comparative by adding -ији to the stem: паметан (smart) → паметнији - the same stem you get by stripping the fleeting a (паметн-). Most adjectives ending in a plain consonant also add -ији directly: стар (old) → старији - but a smaller group, including some ending in к/г/х, instead shifts a consonant or adds -ши (see the next section).
The comparative agrees in gender like the positive, but with its own fixed endings - -и masculine, -а feminine, -е neuter - regardless of which pattern the positive followed: паметнији/паметнија/паметније.
Irregular comparatives - memorize as a set
A handful of very common adjectives don't use -ији at all and must be learned individually, the same way you'd memorize English good/better or bad/worse: добар (good) → бољи, лош (bad) → гори, велик (big) → већи, мали (small) → мањи. Their superlatives follow the regular нај- rule like everything else.
A smaller group forms the comparative with -ши or a consonant change instead of plain -ији, best learned one at a time rather than derived from a rule: леп (nice) → лепши, млад (young) → млађи.
The superlative - нај-
The superlative is simple: it's always the comparative with the fixed prefix нај- glued onto the front, with no exceptions. Once you know an adjective's comparative, its superlative is automatic.
Two things follow. It's written as one word - нај- is a prefix, never separate (нај јефтинији) or hyphenated (нај-јефтинији): the superlative of јефтин is најјефтинији. And it agrees in gender exactly like the comparative it's built on - најпаметнији/најпаметнија/најпаметније - including irregulars, whose superlative is simply нај- plus their own comparative: бољи → најбољи.
Comparing two things: него and од
Than has two correct translations. Него pairs with the same case as the first thing compared - usually nominative: Он је старији него ја. (He is older than I am.) Од instead takes the genitive: Он је старији од мене. (He is older than me.) Don't mix the two in one sentence.
Case marking still applies as before - од is the same genitive preposition from genitive-case-a2, and the comparative still agrees in gender and case with the noun it describes.
Tables
| Gender | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| muški | pametan | pametniji | najpametniji |
| ženski | pametna | pametnija | najpametnija |
| srednji | pametno | pametnije | najpametnije |
Examples
Compared with…
English splits comparison by syllable count - short adjectives take -er/-est, long ones take more/most - a distinction Serbian does not make: паметнији works exactly like бољи regardless of length, because Serbian always changes the adjective's own ending rather than adding a separate word. The irregular set (добар/бољи, лош/гори) maps directly onto English's own irregulars (good/better, bad/worse), so that part transfers perfectly.
Common mistakes
Tips & exceptions
- Whatever pattern the comparative follows, its own gender endings are always the same: -и masculine, -а feminine, -е neuter - паметнији/паметнија/паметније, бољи/боља/боље, alike.
- The superlative needs no separate memorization: take the comparative you already know and add нај- in front, with no exceptions.
- Learn добар/бољи, лош/гори, велик/већи, мали/мањи together as one small vocabulary set from the very start, the same way you'd learn English good/better, bad/worse - resist the temptation to regularize them.
- A smaller group of adjectives - often one syllable - take -ши or shift a consonant instead of plain -ији (леп → лепши, млад → млађи); there is no simple rule that predicts which adjectives belong here, so treat each one as vocabulary.
- Него and од are not interchangeable mid-sentence: него expects the same case as what it's compared to (typically nominative), од always takes the genitive regardless.
- Comparatives and superlatives decline for case exactly like any other adjective (case agreement from basic-adjectives-a1 and cases-introduction-a1) - nothing extra to learn once you have the comparative stem.
Summary
Opens Focus mode: one exercise at a time, with explanations — either script accepted.
Grammar Words Guided lesson Guided lesson Guided lesson Guided lesson Guided lesson Guided lesson Listening Reading Writing Speaking Test
This lesson is the unit's first step. The grammar, the words and the first guided lesson are open to everyone; the rest of the unit's lessons and its text, dialogue and tasks come with Premium.