Comparison of Adjectives in Czech

Overview

Czech adjectives form comparatives and superlatives through suffixes rather than separate words like English "more/most." The comparative typically adds -ejsi/-si to the adjective stem, and the superlative prefixes nej- to the comparative. Several high-frequency adjectives have irregular comparative forms that must be memorized.

At the A2 level, comparisons appear in everyday conversation whenever you evaluate, choose, or rank things. The comparative is used with nez (than) for explicit comparisons: Ona je starsi nez ja (She is older than me).

Czech also allows analytic comparison with vic/min (more/less) + adjective for longer adjectives, similar to English "more interesting," though synthetic forms are generally preferred when available.

How It Works

Regular Formation

Degree	Formation	Example (mlady = young)
Positive	base form	mlady
Comparative	stem + -ejsi/-si	mladsi
Superlative	nej- + comparative	nejmladsi

Irregular Comparatives

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
dobry (good)	lepsi	nejlepsi
spatny (bad)	horsi	nejhorsi
velky (big)	vetsi	nejvetsi
maly (small)	mensi	nejmensi
dlouhy (long)	delsi	nejdelsi
kratky (short)	kratsi	nejkratsi

Comparison Structures

• A je -ejsi nez B: Praha je vetsi nez Brno. (Prague is bigger than Brno.)
• A je nej-: To je nejlepsi. (That is the best.)
• vic/min + adjective: vic zajimavy (more interesting)

Examples in Context

Czech	English	Note
velky -> vetsi -> nejvetsi	big -> bigger -> biggest	Irregular
Ona je starsi nez ja.	She is older than me.	nez = than
To je nejlepsi.	This is the best.	Irregular superlative
vic zajimavy	more interesting	Analytic comparison
mensi problem	a smaller problem	Irregular
Praha je hezci nez...	Prague is prettier than...	Regular -si
To je nejdulezitejsi.	That is the most important.	Regular -ejsi
Je to horsi nez vcera.	It's worse than yesterday.	Irregular
Nejstarsi budova v meste	The oldest building in the city	Superlative
Mam radeji caj.	I prefer tea.	radeji = comparative of rad

Common Mistakes

Regularizing Irregular Forms

• Wrong: dobrejsi (regularizing dobry)
• Right: lepsi
• Why: The most common adjectives have suppletive comparative forms. These must be memorized; they cannot be predicted from the positive form.

Forgetting Nej- for Superlative

• Wrong: To je lepsi (meaning "the best")
• Right: To je nejlepsi.
• Why: The superlative always requires the nej- prefix. Without it, the form is only comparative.

Mixing Analytic and Synthetic Forms

• Wrong: vic lepsi (using both vic and comparative ending)
• Right: lepsi (synthetic alone) or vic dobry (analytic, less common)
• Why: Do not combine vic/min with an already comparative form. Use one strategy or the other.

Usage Notes

Comparative adjectives continue to decline for gender, number, and case: lepsi dum (m), lepsi kniha (f), lepsi mesto (n). The superlative nej- prefix does not affect declension. In colloquial Czech, vic + positive adjective is increasingly common even where a synthetic form exists.

Practice Tips

1. Irregular form flashcards: Drill the irregular comparatives and superlatives until automatic: dobry-lepsi-nejlepsi, spatny-horsi-nejhorsi.
2. Comparison sentences: Compare things around you: Tento dum je vetsi nez tamten. Tato kniha je zajimavejsi.
3. Superlative rankings: Make "top 3" lists using superlatives: Nejlepsi jidlo je... Nejhezci mesto je...

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjective Agreement -- base adjective forms and declension
• Next steps: Adverb Comparison -- comparative and superlative of adverbs