Comparison in Indonesian

Overview

Indonesian has a clear and regular system for making comparisons. The comparative uses lebih (more) + adjective + daripada (than). The superlative uses paling (most) + adjective or the prefix ter- attached to the adjective. Equality is expressed with sama + adjective + dengan (as ... as).

Unlike English, Indonesian never changes the form of the adjective itself. You always use the same adjective with lebih, paling, or sama to create comparisons. There are no irregular forms like "better" or "best" — everything follows the same pattern.

How It Works

Comparative (more than)

Pattern	Example	English
lebih + adj + daripada	lebih besar daripada	bigger than
Subject + lebih + adj + daripada + object	Mobil ini lebih cepat daripada itu.	This car is faster than that.

Superlative (most)

Pattern	Example	English
paling + adj	paling besar	the biggest
ter- + adj	terbesar	the biggest
Subject + paling + adj	Dia paling tinggi.	He is the tallest.

Equality (as ... as)

Pattern	Example	English
sama + adj + dengan	sama besar dengan	as big as
se- + adj	sebesar	as big as

Progressive Comparison

Pattern	Example	English
semakin + adj	semakin besar	getting bigger
semakin...semakin...	Semakin belajar, semakin pintar.	The more you study, the smarter.
makin + adj	makin lama	getting longer

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Mobil ini lebih cepat daripada itu.	This car is faster than that.	Comparative
Dia paling tinggi.	He/She is the tallest.	Superlative with paling
Harganya sama.	The price is the same.	Equality
semakin...semakin...	the more...the more...	Progressive
Gunung Everest tertinggi di dunia.	Everest is the tallest in the world.	Superlative with ter-
Kota ini lebih ramai daripada desa.	The city is busier than the village.	Comparative
Sama enaknya.	Equally delicious.	Equality with -nya
Semakin hari semakin baik.	Getting better every day.	Progressive
Lebih baik kita pergi sekarang.	We'd better go now.	"Better" as advice
Tidak lebih mahal.	Not more expensive.	Negated comparative

Common Mistakes

Forgetting daripada in comparisons

• Wrong: Dia lebih tinggi saya.
• Right: Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya.
• Why: Daripada (than) is needed to complete the comparison, though it can be omitted when the comparison object is clear from context.

Confusing paling and ter-

• Wrong: paling terbesar
• Right: paling besar or terbesar (pick one)
• Why: Both paling and ter- create superlatives. Using both together is redundant.

Using comparative forms on the adjective itself

• Wrong: Looking for an Indonesian equivalent of "bigger" as one word
• Right: Always use lebih besar (more big)
• Why: Indonesian adjectives do not have comparative forms. Always use lebih + the base adjective.

Usage Notes

In casual speech, daripada is sometimes shortened to dari or omitted entirely when the comparison is clear. The prefix ter- for superlatives is more common in formal writing, while paling is used in both speech and writing. The semakin...semakin pattern is particularly expressive and appears frequently in Indonesian literature and media.

Practice Tips

1. Compare things around you: Meja ini lebih besar daripada kursi. Buku ini paling tebal. This practices both comparative and superlative.
2. Use the semakin pattern to describe changes: Semakin malam semakin dingin. (The later at night, the colder it gets.)

Related Concepts

• Adjectives — the base adjective forms used in comparisons
• Correlative Constructions — paired structures including semakin...semakin