How to Form Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in Romanian

Understanding Romanian Comparative Forms

In Romanian, comparatives are used to compare two things, similar to English. There are two main types of comparatives: comparative of superiority (more ... than), comparative of inferiority (less ... than), and comparative of equality (as ... as).

Comparative of Superiority

To express that something has more of a quality than something else, Romanian uses the structure: mai + adjective + decât. For example, mai mare decât means "bigger than."

Example:
"Casa este mai mare decât apartamentul."
Translation: "The house is bigger than the apartment."

Comparative of Inferiority

To say something has less of a quality, use: mai puțin + adjective + decât. For example, mai puțin interesant decât means "less interesting than."

Example:
"Cartea este mai puțin interesantă decât filmul."
Translation: "The book is less interesting than the movie."

Comparative of Equality

To express equality, use: la fel de + adjective + ca. For example, la fel de frumos ca means "as beautiful as."

Example:
"Orașul este la fel de frumos ca satul."
Translation: "The city is as beautiful as the village."

Forming Romanian Superlative Forms

Romanian superlatives express the highest or lowest degree of a quality. There are two types: relative superlative (the most/least) and absolute superlative (very or extremely).

Relative Superlative

To say "the most" or "the least" of a quality, use: cel mai + adjective for masculine singular, cea mai + adjective for feminine singular, and their plural forms cei mai and cele mai respectively.

Example:
"El este cel mai înalt din clasă."
Translation: "He is the tallest in the class."

Example:
"Ea este cea mai inteligentă dintre toate."
Translation: "She is the smartest of all."

Absolute Superlative

The absolute superlative expresses an extreme degree of a quality and is formed by adding the suffix -isss (usually -isss or -issim in Romanian) to the adjective stem, often preceded by foarte (very). However, in Romanian, the common way is to use foarte + adjective or the suffix -t or -tă in some adjectives.

Example:
"O zi foarte frumoasă."
Translation: "A very beautiful day."

Note: Romanian does not have a strict absolute superlative suffix like Spanish or Italian, so intensifiers like foarte are commonly used.

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms

Some Romanian adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. Here are a few common examples:

Summary of Romanian Comparative and Superlative Structures

Here is a quick overview of the main structures:

• Comparative of superiority: mai + adjective + decât (more ... than)
• Comparative of inferiority: mai puțin + adjective + decât (less ... than)
• Comparative of equality: la fel de + adjective + ca (as ... as)
• Relative superlative: cel mai / cea mai + adjective (the most ...)
• Absolute superlative: foarte + adjective (very ...) or suffixes in some cases