Comparison of Adjectives in Swedish

Overview

When you want to say that something is "bigger," "faster," or "the most beautiful," you need to compare adjectives. Swedish uses a system similar to English, with two main strategies: adding endings to the adjective (-are for comparative, -ast for superlative) or using the words mer (more) and mest (most) for longer adjectives. There are also several important irregular forms that you will encounter frequently.

At the A2 level, mastering comparison lets you describe preferences, make choices, and give opinions with more nuance — all essential for everyday conversation.

How It Works

Regular Comparison (Short Adjectives)

Form	Ending	Example: snabb (fast)
Base	—	snabb
Comparative	-are	snabbare
Superlative	-ast	snabbast

Superlative with Definite Form

The superlative has two forms: a predicative form and a definite/attributive form:

Usage	Form	Example
Predicative (after verb)	-ast	Den här bilen är snabbast. (This car is fastest.)
Attributive (before noun)	den/det/de + -aste	Den snabbaste bilen. (The fastest car.)

Comparison with "mer" and "mest" (Long Adjectives)

Adjectives with three or more syllables (and many with two) use mer and mest:

Form	Pattern	Example: intressant (interesting)
Base	—	intressant
Comparative	mer + adj.	mer intressant
Superlative	mest + adj.	mest intressant

Common Irregular Forms

Base	Comparative	Superlative	English
bra	bättre	bäst	good, better, best
dålig	sämre	sämst	bad, worse, worst
stor	större	störst	big, bigger, biggest
liten	mindre	minst	small, smaller, smallest
gammal	äldre	äldst	old, older, oldest
ung	yngre	yngst	young, younger, youngest
lång	längre	längst	long/tall, longer, longest
mycket	mer/mera	mest	much, more, most
många	fler/flera	flest	many, more, most

Comparing Two Things: "än" (than)

• Stockholm är större än Göteborg. (Stockholm is bigger than Gothenburg.)
• Kaffe är bättre än te. (Coffee is better than tea.)

Expressing Equality: "lika ... som" (as ... as)

• Hon är lika snabb som jag. (She is as fast as me.)

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Min bror är äldre än jag.	My brother is older than me.	Irregular: gammal → äldre
Det här är den billigaste restaurangen.	This is the cheapest restaurant.	Definite superlative
Sommaren är varmare än vintern.	Summer is warmer than winter.	Regular: varm → varmare
Vilken film är bäst?	Which film is best?	Irregular: bra → bäst
Den här boken är mer intressant.	This book is more interesting.	Long adjective with mer
Göteborg är mindre än Stockholm.	Gothenburg is smaller than Stockholm.	Irregular: liten → mindre
Hon springer snabbare än mig.	She runs faster than me.	Regular comparative
Det är den längsta floden i Sverige.	It is the longest river in Sweden.	Irregular: lång → längst + -a
Katten är lika söt som hunden.	The cat is as cute as the dog.	Equality with lika...som
Det här problemet är svårare.	This problem is harder.	Regular: svår → svårare

Common Mistakes

Using "mer" with short adjectives

• Wrong: Han är mer snabb.
• Right: Han är snabbare.
• Why: Short adjectives (one or two syllables) take the -are/-ast endings. Reserve mer/mest for longer adjectives like intressant, komplicerad, or fantastisk.

Forgetting the definite superlative form

• Wrong: Det är snabbast bilen.
• Right: Det är den snabbaste bilen.
• Why: When the superlative comes before a noun, you need the definite article (den/det/de) and the -aste ending.

Using "som" instead of "än" in comparisons

• Wrong: Hon är snabbare som jag.
• Right: Hon är snabbare än jag.
• Why: Use än (than) for comparative sentences and som (as) only in equality comparisons with lika.

Regularizing irregular forms

• Wrong: godare, storare
• Right: bättre, större
• Why: The most common adjectives have irregular comparative forms. These must be memorized as they do not follow the regular -are/-ast pattern.

Usage Notes

In spoken Swedish, you may hear mera instead of mer (more). Both are correct, though mer is more common in modern Swedish. Similarly, flera (more, in the sense of "several") and fler (more in number) have slightly different nuances — fler compares quantity while flera means "several."

Practice Tips

• Make a flashcard set for the irregular comparative forms. These appear constantly in conversation, so drilling them until they are automatic is well worth the effort.
• Practice describing things around you using comparisons: Mitt rum är mindre än köket. Köket är det ljusaste rummet. (My room is smaller than the kitchen. The kitchen is the brightest room.)
• When learning a new adjective, immediately check if it is regular or irregular, and practice all three forms together: stor, större, störst.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjective Agreement — Understanding how adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number is the foundation for comparison.
• Next steps: Adverb Formation and Placement — Learn how adverbs are compared (snabbt → snabbare → snabbast).