Comparison of Adjectives in Norwegian

Overview

When you want to say that something is bigger, faster, or more beautiful than something else, you need the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. In Norwegian, most adjectives form the comparative by adding -ere and the superlative by adding -est, similar to the English "-er" and "-est" pattern. However, some of the most common adjectives are irregular, and longer adjectives use mer (more) and mest (most) instead.

This is an A2-level concept that builds on your knowledge of adjective agreement from A1. While adjective agreement deals with matching gender and number, comparison deals with expressing degrees — saying that one thing has more or less of a quality than another. These forms appear constantly in everyday conversation: comparing prices, weather, people, and preferences.

Understanding how comparison works in Norwegian will also help you express opinions more naturally and participate in discussions about everyday topics.

How It Works

Regular comparison

Most short adjectives (one or two syllables) add -ere for the comparative and -est for the superlative:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative	English
stor	større	størst	big
liten	mindre	minst	small
billig	billigere	billigst	cheap
fin	finere	finest	nice/fine
pen	penere	penest	pretty
rask	raskere	raskest	fast
ung	yngre	yngst	young
gammel	eldre	eldst	old
lang	lengre	lengst	long
tung	tyngre	tyngst	heavy

Note that several common adjectives have vowel changes or consonant shifts (like stor → større, ung → yngre). These are not fully irregular — they follow old Germanic patterns — but you should learn them individually.

Irregular comparison

Some of the most frequently used adjectives are completely irregular:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative	English
god / bra	bedre	best	good
dårlig / ille	verre	verst	bad
mange	flere	flest	many
mye	mer	mest	much
liten	mindre	minst	small/little

Periphrastic comparison with "mer" and "mest"

Longer adjectives (typically three or more syllables) and past participles used as adjectives form comparisons with mer (more) and mest (most):

Positive	Comparative	Superlative	English
interessant	mer interessant	mest interessant	interesting
intelligent	mer intelligent	mest intelligent	intelligent
populær	mer populær	mest populær	popular
fornøyd	mer fornøyd	mest fornøyd	satisfied
spennende	mer spennende	mest spennende	exciting

Comparison structures

Structure	Pattern	Example
Comparative + enn	X er [comp.] enn Y	Oslo er større enn Bergen.
Superlative (definite)	X er den/det/de [sup.] + -e	Oslo er den største byen.
Superlative (predicative)	X er [sup.]	Oslo er størst.
Equality	like [adj.] som	Han er like stor som meg.

Superlative with definite form

When the superlative is used before a noun (attributive position), it takes the ending -e and requires the definite article:

• den største byen — the biggest city
• det beste hotellet — the best hotel
• de fleste menneskene — most of the people

When used after a verb (predicative position), the superlative stands alone without -e:

• Denne byen er størst. — This city is the biggest.
• Denne boka er best. — This book is the best.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Bilen min er raskere enn din.	My car is faster than yours.	Regular comparative + enn
Norge er dyrere enn Sverige.	Norway is more expensive than Sweden.	Regular comparative
Hun er den eldste i familien.	She is the oldest in the family.	Superlative + definite form
Denne filmen er bedre enn den forrige.	This movie is better than the previous one.	Irregular: god → bedre
Det er det verste været jeg har sett.	That is the worst weather I have seen.	Irregular: dårlig → verst
Kaffen er mer interessant enn teen.	The coffee is more interesting than the tea.	Periphrastic with mer
Hun er like flink som ham.	She is just as clever as him.	Equality comparison
Det er det mest spennende jeg har lest.	That is the most exciting thing I have read.	Periphrastic superlative
Bergen er penere enn jeg trodde.	Bergen is prettier than I thought.	Regular comparative
Han er yngre enn meg, men høyere.	He is younger than me, but taller.	Two comparatives
De fleste nordmenn snakker engelsk.	Most Norwegians speak English.	Superlative of mange

Common Mistakes

Using "-ere" with long adjectives

• Wrong: Filmen var interessantere enn boka.
• Right: Filmen var mer interessant enn boka.
• Why: Long adjectives (three or more syllables) use mer/mest, not the suffixed forms.

Forgetting "enn" in comparisons

• Wrong: Oslo er større Bergen.
• Right: Oslo er større enn Bergen.
• Why: The word enn (than) is required in comparative constructions, similar to English "than."

Missing the "-e" ending in attributive superlatives

• Wrong: Det er den størst byen.
• Right: Det er den største byen.
• Why: When the superlative appears before a noun with a definite article, it must take the -e ending.

Confusing "mer" and "flere"

• Wrong: Det er mer mennesker her.
• Right: Det er flere mennesker her.
• Why: Mer is used with uncountable nouns (more water, more time). Flere is the comparative of mange and is used with countable nouns (more people, more books).

Usage Notes

In informal spoken Norwegian, you may hear some speakers use the suffixed comparative even with longer adjectives (interessantere), but this is considered non-standard in written Bokmål. When in doubt, use mer/mest for any adjective with three or more syllables.

The word jo is often used in comparative constructions for emphasis: Jo mer du øver, jo bedre blir du (The more you practice, the better you get). This paired construction is very common in both speech and writing.

Practice Tips

1. Make comparison flashcards. Write the positive form on one side and the comparative and superlative on the other. Focus especially on the irregular forms, as these are the most common adjectives.
2. Compare things around you. Practice describing objects in your room or people you know: Stolen er eldre enn bordet. Bordet er det største møbelet.
3. Learn the irregular forms first. The adjectives god, dårlig, stor, liten, gammel, ung, mange, and mye are extremely high-frequency, so knowing their irregular forms pays off quickly.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjective Agreement — understanding how adjectives agree in gender and number is essential before learning comparison
• Next steps: Adverb Formation and Placement — adverbs can also be compared using similar patterns