How to Form Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in Hungarian

Understanding Adjectives in Hungarian

In Hungarian, adjectives describe qualities or states of nouns, similar to English. However, the way Hungarian forms comparative and superlative adjectives differs significantly from English, making it important for learners to understand these unique structures.

Forming the Comparative in Hungarian

The comparative form in Hungarian is created by adding the suffix -bb to the adjective stem. If the adjective ends with a vowel, the vowel is usually dropped before adding -bb. Additionally, the suffix -nál or -nél is often used after the comparative adjective to mean "than" when making comparisons.

For example:

• nagy (big) → nagyobb (bigger)
• kicsi (small) → kisebb (smaller)
• gyors (fast) → gyorsabb (faster)

Example sentence: Ő nagyobb, mint én. (He is bigger than me.)

Forming the Superlative in Hungarian

The superlative form is made by prefixing the adjective with leg- and adding the suffix -bb to the adjective stem. This creates the meaning of "the most" or "-est" in English.

For example:

• nagy → legnagyobb (biggest)
• kicsi → legkisebb (smallest)
• gyors → leggyorsabb (fastest)

Example sentence: Ő a legnagyobb a családban. (He is the biggest in the family.)

Special Notes on Spelling and Pronunciation

When adding -bb, some adjectives undergo consonant doubling or vowel changes to maintain pronunciation. For example, kicsi becomes kisebb, where the 'c' changes to 's' and the 'bb' suffix is added.

Also, the prefix leg- is always attached directly to the adjective stem without any hyphen or space.

Using Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in Sentences

Comparative adjectives are often followed by mint (meaning "than") to compare two things.

Example: A kocsim gyorsabb, mint a tied. (My car is faster than yours.)

Superlative adjectives are usually used with the definite article a or az (the) to indicate the highest degree.

Example: Ő a legjobb tanár. (He is the best teacher.)

Summary of Rules

1. Add -bb to form the comparative (drop final vowel if necessary).
2. Use mint after the comparative to mean "than".
3. Add leg- prefix and -bb suffix to form the superlative.
4. Use the definite article a/az with superlatives.
5. Watch for spelling changes when adding suffixes.