Comparison in Indonesian

In Brief

Use lebih + adjective + daripada for “more ... than,” and paling + adjective for “the most ...”: lebih cepat daripada (“faster than”), paling cepat (“the fastest”). For equality, use sama + adjective + dengan, while ter- can form some superlatives, especially familiar forms such as terbaik (“best”).

Overview

Indonesian comparison is refreshingly regular. An adjective—a describing word such as besar (“big”) or murah (“cheap”)—does not change its form. Instead, words placed around it show whether two things differ, one ranks highest, or two things are equal. English often changes the adjective itself (fast, faster, fastest); Indonesian normally keeps cepat unchanged and adds lebih or paling.

This is a core A2 pattern because it lets you compare prices, places, food, people, plans, and preferences. It builds directly on Indonesian adjectives: adjectives can function as predicates (the part that says something about the subject) without a word meaning “is.” Thus Mobil ini cepat means “This car is fast,” and Mobil ini lebih cepat means “This car is faster.”

The beginner rules cover most everyday needs. Indonesian also has shorter equality patterns, the prefix ter-, comparison with quantities and verbs, and the paired construction semakin...semakin. Those extensions are explained separately below so that the basic system remains easy to see.

How It Works

Comparing two things: lebih...daripada

The standard comparative pattern is:

A + lebih + adjective + daripada + B

Here, A and B are the two people or things being compared.

Indonesian pattern	English	Note
Mobil ini lebih cepat daripada mobil itu.	This car is faster than that car.	cepat does not change.
Kamar ini lebih besar daripada kamar saya.	This room is bigger than my room.	daripada introduces the comparison standard.
Naik kereta lebih nyaman daripada naik bus.	Taking the train is more comfortable than taking the bus.	Whole activities can be compared.

In context, the second item may be omitted when it is already obvious: Yang biru lebih murah means “The blue one is cheaper.” Indonesian yang + adjective can mean “the one that is ...” or simply “the ... one.”

Do not insert a form of “to be” before the adjective. Indonesian does not need one here: Hotel ini lebih mahal, not Hotel ini adalah lebih mahal.

Saying “less”: kurang...daripada

Use kurang + adjective + daripada for “less ... than.” This is useful when the adjective itself has no convenient opposite, or when you want to frame a difference gently.

• Film ini kurang menarik daripada bukunya. — “This film is less interesting than the book.”
• Kamar belakang kurang terang daripada kamar depan. — “The back room is less bright than the front room.”

With evaluations, kurang + adjective often means “not ... enough” or “somewhat insufficient,” even without an explicit comparison: Kopinya kurang manis can mean “The coffee isn’t sweet enough.” Context tells you whether a comparison is intended.

The highest degree: paling

The superlative identifies the highest or lowest member of a group. The most productive pattern is:

A + paling + adjective (+ di/dari antara + group)

• Dia paling tinggi di kelas. — “He/She is the tallest in the class.”
• Ini pilihan paling praktis. — “This is the most practical choice.”
• Hari Senin paling sibuk. — “Monday is the busiest.”

English normally requires “the,” but Indonesian has no direct equivalent here. Paling tinggi can mean “tallest” without an article. The comparison group can be stated with di (“in/at”) or another phrase, or left understood from context.

To express the lowest degree, use paling tidak/kurang + adjective where the meaning is clear, though choosing an opposite adjective is often more natural: paling murah (“cheapest”) rather than paling tidak mahal (“least expensive”). Be careful: paling tidak also commonly means “at least.”

Superlatives with ter-

The prefix ter- attaches to certain adjective roots and can express “most” or an extreme degree:

Indonesian	English	Note
terbaik	best	from baik (“good”)
terbesar	biggest/largest	from besar (“big”)
tertinggi	highest/tallest	from tinggi (“high/tall”)
terpenting	most important	from penting (“important”)
terbaru	newest/latest	from baru (“new”)

Paling is the safest productive choice for beginners: paling menarik, paling nyaman, paling ramah. Many ter- forms are common and worth learning, but you should not assume every adjective takes ter- equally naturally. Also, ter- has other functions in Indonesian, so not every word beginning with it is a superlative.

Do not normally combine the two markers: use paling baik or terbaik, not paling terbaik. The doubled form occurs informally for emphasis, but careful standard usage avoids it.

Equality: sama...dengan

To say that two things have the same degree of a quality, use:

A + sama + adjective + dengan + B

• Tas ini sama berat dengan koper itu. — “This bag is as heavy as that suitcase.”
• Kamar saya sama luas dengan kamar Anda. — “My room is as spacious as yours.”

When the shared quality is already understood, sama can stand alone: Harganya sama means “The price is the same,” and Ukuran kedua sepatu itu sama means “The two shoes are the same size.” To say that two things are simply the same or identical, use sama dengan without inserting an adjective: Jawaban saya sama dengan jawabanmu (“My answer is the same as yours”).

A compact form with se- + adjective is also common: sebesar (“as big as”), setinggi (“as tall/high as”), secepat (“as fast as”). For example, Rumah ini tidak sebesar rumah lama kami means “This house is not as big as our old house.” Learn this as an extension; sama + adjective + dengan makes the equality relationship especially transparent.

A quick pattern summary

Meaning	Main pattern	Example
more ... than	lebih + adjective + daripada	lebih cepat daripada
less ... than	kurang + adjective + daripada	kurang ramai daripada
the most ...	paling + adjective	paling cepat
selected superlative	ter- + adjective	tercepat
as ... as	sama + adjective + dengan	sama cepat dengan
the same as	sama dengan	sama dengan yang ini
increasingly ...	semakin + adjective	semakin mahal

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Mobil ini lebih cepat daripada mobil itu.	This car is faster than that car.	Basic comparative
Menurut saya, teh lebih enak daripada kopi.	In my opinion, tea tastes better than coffee.	A personal preference
Apartemen baru kami lebih dekat ke kantor.	Our new apartment is closer to the office.	The second item is understood.
Belanja di pasar kurang mahal daripada di mal.	Shopping at the market is less expensive than at the mall.	kurang...daripada
Dia paling tinggi di keluarganya.	He/She is the tallest in the family.	Group stated with di
Ini jalan paling pendek ke stasiun.	This is the shortest route to the station.	paling inside a noun phrase
Apa restoran terbaik di daerah ini?	What is the best restaurant in this area?	Common ter- form
Gunung itu yang tertinggi di pulau ini.	That mountain is the highest on this island.	yang identifies the one.
Meja ini sama panjang dengan meja di dapur.	This table is as long as the table in the kitchen.	Equality of one quality
Harga tiket anak dan dewasa sama.	The child and adult ticket prices are the same.	sama without a following adjective
Laptop ini tidak seberat laptop lama saya.	This laptop is not as heavy as my old laptop.	Compact se- pattern
Sekarang jalanan semakin ramai.	The roads are getting busier now.	A continuing change
Semakin pagi kita berangkat, semakin lancar lalu lintasnya.	The earlier we leave, the smoother the traffic will be.	Two linked changes
Kakak saya belajar lebih rajin daripada saya.	My older sibling studies more diligently than I do.	Comparison modifies an action.

Common Mistakes

Changing the adjective as in English

• Wrong: Mobil ini cepater daripada itu.
• Right: Mobil ini lebih cepat daripada itu.
• Why: Indonesian does not add English -er or -est. Keep the adjective unchanged and add lebih or paling.

Adding an unnecessary copula

• Wrong: Dia adalah lebih tinggi daripada saya.
• Right: Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya.
• Why: A copula (a linking verb such as English “is”) is not required before an Indonesian adjective. Adalah is inappropriate in this ordinary comparison.

Using dari as the default in careful comparison

• Less suitable in formal standard usage: Harga ini lebih murah dari harga itu.
• Standard: Harga ini lebih murah daripada harga itu.
• Why: Dari is very common in everyday speech, but it also means “from.” Daripada is the clear standard marker for the second side of a comparison and is the best form to learn first.

Doubling a superlative

• Nonstandard or strongly colloquial: Ini pilihan paling terbaik.
• Right: Ini pilihan terbaik. / Ini pilihan paling baik.
• Why: Terbaik already means “best.” Adding paling marks the highest degree twice.

Confusing equality with ordinary similarity

• Wrong for “This room is as large as that one”: Kamar ini sama dengan besar kamar itu.
• Right: Kamar ini sama besar dengan kamar itu.
• Why: In the equality pattern, put the adjective directly after sama: sama + besar + dengan. If you mean only “This room is the same as that one,” say Kamar ini sama dengan kamar itu.

Forgetting the comparison group

• Unclear: Dia paling tinggi when several possible groups are being discussed.
• Clearer: Dia paling tinggi di kelas kami.
• Why: A superlative needs a group in meaning. You may omit it only when listeners already know which group you mean.

Usage Notes

In conversation, speakers frequently use dari where formal edited Indonesian prefers daripada: lebih murah dari yang itu. You should understand this immediately, but using daripada in your own speech and writing is always a safe choice. In very casual conversation, a comparison may also be shortened when context supplies the missing side: Yang ini lebih bagus (“This one is better”).

Lebih baik deserves special attention. Literally it is “more good,” but idiomatically it means both “better” and, before a verb, “it would be better to”: Lebih baik kita berangkat sekarang (“We’d better leave now”). That sentence recommends an action; it does not need daripada unless two choices are explicitly contrasted.

Degree words can sharpen a comparison. Jauh lebih means “much/far more,” sedikit lebih means “slightly more,” and lebih ... lagi means “even more”: Hotel ini jauh lebih tenang (“This hotel is much quieter”), Tolong bicara sedikit lebih pelan (“Please speak a little more slowly”), and Besok mungkin lebih panas lagi (“Tomorrow may be even hotter”).

With measurements and quantities, Indonesian often compares nouns or quantity expressions rather than plain adjectives: lebih dari dua jam (“more than two hours”), kurang dari sepuluh orang (“fewer than ten people”), and sebanyak lima puluh peserta (“as many as fifty participants”). Notice that numerical thresholds normally use dari, not comparative daripada.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master everything in this section at A2, but these patterns are frequent enough to recognize.

Semakin...semakin: two changes move together

Semakin means “increasingly” or “more and more”: Cuacanya semakin panas (“The weather is getting hotter”). Repeating it in two linked clauses creates “the more..., the more...”:

semakin + first change, semakin + second change

• Semakin sering berlatih, semakin lancar bahasa Indonesianya. — “The more often you practise, the more fluent your Indonesian becomes.”
• Semakin lama menunggu, semakin tidak sabar dia. — “The longer the wait, the more impatient he/she becomes.”

Natural Indonesian may omit words that English requires, such as an explicit subject or “becomes,” when the relationship is clear. This paired structure belongs to the wider system of correlative constructions.

Comparing actions, amounts, and preferences

Lebih is not limited to adjectives. It can modify an adverb-like expression, a verb phrase, or an amount:

• Dia bekerja lebih cepat daripada saya. — “He/She works faster than I do.”
• Saya lebih suka berjalan kaki. — “I prefer walking.”
• Kami membutuhkan lebih banyak waktu. — “We need more time.”
• Hari ini lebih sedikit orang yang datang. — “Fewer people came today.”

The fixed combinations lebih banyak (“more”) and lebih sedikit (“less/fewer”) are essential when comparing amounts. English distinguishes “less” from “fewer”; Indonesian generally uses lebih sedikit for both countable people or objects and uncountable amounts.

Two meanings of ter-

Besides forming superlatives, ter- can mark an accidental or uncontrolled event in some verbs: Pintunya terbuka can mean “The door is open,” and Saya tertidur means “I fell asleep.” It can also be part of a word whose meaning must be learned as a whole. Identify a superlative from its adjective root and context: gedung tertinggi clearly means “the tallest building,” while not every ter- word ranks something.

Formal emphasis with yang paling and yang ter-

Adding yang can turn a description into “the one that is ...”: Mana yang paling murah? (“Which one is the cheapest?”). It is also common before a superlative in a fuller clause: Hal yang paling penting adalah keselamatan (“The most important thing is safety”). This is not an extra degree marker; yang links the description to the person or thing being identified.

Practice Tips

1. Build three forms from one adjective. Pick five useful adjectives—such as besar, murah, cepat, nyaman, and ramai—and say one sentence with lebih, one with paling, and one with sama...dengan. Keeping the adjective unchanged will soon feel automatic.
2. Compare real choices. Look at two cafés, routes, products, or rooms and make honest comparisons: A lebih dekat, tetapi B lebih murah. Real decisions make daripada and omitted comparison phrases easier to remember.
3. Listen for the markers, not adjective endings. In Indonesian audio, note every lebih, kurang, paling, ter-, and semakin. Decide whether you hear a two-item comparison, a highest rank, equality, or a developing change.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjectives — learn how Indonesian adjectives follow nouns or act as predicates without “is.”
• Next step: Correlative Constructions — expands semakin...semakin alongside other paired structures.