Thursday 19 March 2009

More comparatives

Last time I wrote about gut, besser und am besten. This time I am looking at more comparative adjectives. Do you know the word for cold? The word you are looking for is kalt and the comparative of kalt is kälter. It is saying that something is colder than something else. It is comparing two things, hence the name given to it is a comparative adjective. The coldest thing is being compared to everything else but this looses the title comparative and gets called the superlative. Am kältesten is how you would say the coldest, but you would also say der (die oder das) kälteste...

The German for warm is warm. There are so many perfect cognates which makes learning German relatively easy for English speakers. The comparative follows the same pattern as kalt, and is warmer, and the superlative is am wärmsten. You would say der (die oder das) wärmste...

If you like something in English we use the verb ‘to like’ and then the infinitive of another verb e.g. I like to play cards. In German you use the adverb gern which means willingly. Ich spiele gern would be translated as I like to play. If you prefer to play then Ich spiele lieber, and the superlative is am liebsten.

Bis bald

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