THAI LANGUAGE LESSONS
L20 - The Comparitive and Superlative
This is another area where the Thai language is much simpler than English. Let's consider a few of the regular and irregular forms in the English Language.
Adjective |
Comparitive |
Superlative |
| big | bigger | biggest |
| small | smaller | smallest |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | further | furthest |
Thai uses add-on words to form the comparitive and the superlative so there are no irregular forms.
The Comparitive
The comparitive is formed with the add on word gwah.
yai gwah - bigger
bahn nee yai gwah bahn nun - this house is
bigger than that house
lek gwah - smaller
noo lek gwah mee-ow - a mouse is smaller
than a cat
mah gwah - more
Note the final example mah gwah for more. Thai does not have an exact equivalent for the English adjective 'much' but you can use mah gwah (to come more) in the same we we use 'more'.
pom chawp bee-a mah gwah lao - I like beer more than spirits
There is one use of the comparitive you will hear more than any other:
dee gwah - better
This is one of those iconic Thai phrases you will hear over and over again. It is sometimes put at the end of a statement without even making a comparison with any other option.
bpai gup koon john dee gwah - Go with Mr John, better
bpai tee nai dee gwah, pooget reu pataya -
where is better to go, Phuket or Pattaya
bpai pooget dee gwah - go to Phuket
is better
Superlative
The superlative is formed with the add on words tee soot.
yai tee soot - biggest
pooget pben gaw yai tee soot nai pra-tayt thai - Phuket
is the biggest island in Thailand
dee tee soot - best
pra-tayt thai dee tee soot - Thailand
is the best country
Last
Just to round off this page, to say 'the last' of something you use the add on words soot tai. In this case tai is the Thai word for 'back' or 'end' so it is the 'most back'.
tee soot tai - last place
kao mah tee soot tai - he came in last
place
krang soot tai - the
last time
yahk ja bpai krang soot tai - I want to
go a last time
Note with this last example, this cannot be used for 'the last time I went'. If that is what you wanted to see you would use tee lae-oh.
krang tee lae-oh chan bpai - the last time I went
Main Index
