Comparison: Better, Bigger, Best
Croatians compare things professionally — coffee prices, beaches, and above all the two capitals of the national argument: Zagreb and Split. This lesson arms you for all of it.
The Regular -iji
Most adjectives compare with -iji:
| Adjective | Comparative |
|---|---|
| star — old | stariji — older |
| nov — new | noviji — newer |
| jeftin — cheap | jeftiniji — cheaper |
| pametan — smart | pametniji — smarter |
The Short Champions
The most common adjectives compare short — high frequency earns irregularity:
| Adjective | Comparative |
|---|---|
| dobar — good | bolji — better |
| loš — bad | gori — worse |
| velik — big | veći — bigger |
| malen — small | manji — smaller |
| lijep — beautiful | ljepši — prettier (ije shrinks to je!) |
| lak — easy | lakši — easier |
Than: od or nego
Two ways to say than:
| Croatian | Construction |
|---|---|
| Split je manji od Zagreba. | od + genitive — snappy |
| Split je manji nego Zagreb. | nego + nominative — safer with full clauses |
naj- and the Superlative
Glue naj- to the comparative and you have the superlative: bolji → najbolji, ljepši → najljepši.
Najbolja kava je kod bake.
The best coffee is at grandma's.
Note: naj- + comparative + the kod-genitive. Scientifically unfalsifiable.
💬 The eternal debate
Zagreb je veći i ima više posla.
Zagreb is bigger and has more work.
A Split ima more. More je ljepše od tramvaja.
And Split has the sea. The sea is prettier than a tram.
Tramvaj vozi i zimi.
The tram runs in winter too.
I more radi zimi. Samo je hladnije.
The sea works in winter too. It's just colder.
The diplomatic exit, should you need one: «Zagreb je veći, ali Split je uz more» — Zagreb is bigger, but Split is by the sea. Both sides will consider you wise and wrong.