Dearer and cheaper: the comparative
The rule is short: inside the adjective a pattern of "a + first letter + doubled second + a" grows "more such". rakhiis — cheap, arkhas — cheaper; kabiir — big, akbar — bigger. No separate word "more" is needed. For example: “السوق أرخص من المطعم” — The market is cheaper than the restaurant. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The rule is short: inside the adjective a pattern of "a + first letter + doubled second + a" grows "more such". rakhiis — cheap, arkhas — cheaper; kabiir — big, akbar — bigger. No separate word "more" is needed.
The comparison is attached with the preposition min — "from": as-suuq arkhas min al-matʿam — the market is cheaper than the restaurant, literally "cheaper from the restaurant". It is the same min as in "from Cairo".
The superlative is made with the article: al-arkhas — the cheapest, al-afdal — the best. Two shapes cover it all, both built from a word you know.
One trap: adjectives with long vowels change shape more strongly. "Better" cannot be guessed from "jayyid" — learn afdal as its own word; it is among the most frequent anyway.
Table
| plain | comparative | superlative |
|---|---|---|
| رخيص — cheap | أرخص — arkhas | الأرخص — al-arkhas |
| غالٍ — dear | أغلى — aghlaa | الأغلى — al-aghlaa |
| كبير — big | أكبر — akbar | الأكبر — al-akbar |
| جديد — new | أجدد — ajadd | الأجدد — al-ajadd |
| خفيف — light | أخف — akhaff | الأخف — al-akhaff |
| جيد — good | أفضل — afdal | الأفضل — al-afdal |
By example
- السوق أرخص من المطعمас-суук архас мин аль-матʿамThe market is cheaper than the restaurant
- هذا البيت أكبرхаза аль-бейт акбарThis house is bigger
- القهوة هنا أفضلаль-кахва хуна афдальThe coffee here is better
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Comparative adjectives in Arabic?
The comparison is attached with the preposition min — "from": as-suuq arkhas min al-matʿam — the market is cheaper than the restaurant, literally "cheaper from the restaurant". It is the same min as in "from Cairo".
How to say cheaper in Arabic?
The comparison is attached with the preposition min — "from": as-suuq arkhas min al-matʿam — the market is cheaper than the restaurant, literally "cheaper from the restaurant". It is the same min as in "from Cairo".
The arabic comparative with min?
The comparison is attached with the preposition min — "from": as-suuq arkhas min al-matʿam — the market is cheaper than the restaurant, literally "cheaper from the restaurant". It is the same min as in "from Cairo".
How to say better in Arabic?
The comparison is attached with the preposition min — "from": as-suuq arkhas min al-matʿam — the market is cheaper than the restaurant, literally "cheaper from the restaurant". It is the same min as in "from Cairo".
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“السوق أرخص من المطعم” (ас-суук архас мин аль-матʿам) — The market is cheaper than the restaurant. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.