Dva puta veći, isti kao, za razliku od: comparing whole situations
You compare not only single words but whole situations: this one against that one, twice the size, ten percent cheaper. For example: “Овај стан је два пута већи и за десет одсто јефтинији од претходног” — This apartment is twice as big and ten percent cheaper than the previous one. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You compare not only single words but whole situations: this one against that one, twice the size, ten percent cheaper.
The second half of a comparison comes in two ways. Od with the of-form: bolji od tebe, veći od prošlog. Or nego: bolji nego prošle godine. When two actions are compared, only nego will do: lakše je reći nego uraditi.
Multiples are counted with the word put: dva puta veći, tri puta jeftinije. A difference in units takes za: za pet godina stariji, za deset odsto skuplji.
Whole situations are set against each other by openers, and a comma follows them. U poređenju sa takes the with-form, za razliku od takes the of-form, nasuprot takes the to-form.
Table
| the phrase | what it governs | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| od | the of-form | bolji od tebe | better than you |
| nego | the same case | bolji nego prošle godine | better than last year |
| put | multiples | dva puta veći | twice as big |
| za | a difference in units | za pet godina stariji | older by five years |
| isti kao | equality | isti kao tvoj | exactly like yours |
| sličan | the to-case | sličan ocu | like his father |
| u poređenju sa | the with-form | u poređenju sa juče | compared with yesterday |
| za razliku od | the of-form | za razliku od njega | unlike him |
By example
- Овај стан је два пута већи и за десет одсто јефтинији од претходногOvaj stan je dva puta veći i za deset odsto jeftiniji od prethodnogThis apartment is twice as big and ten percent cheaper than the previous one
- У поређењу са прошлом годином, резултати су бољи него што смо очекивалиU poređenju sa prošlom godinom, rezultati su bolji nego što smo očekivaliCompared with last year, the results are better than we expected
- За разлику од брата, он воли исте филмове као и јаZa razliku od brata, on voli iste filmove kao i jaUnlike his brother, he likes the same films I do
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
Dva puta veći, isti kao, za razliku od: how does it work in Serbian?
You compare not only single words but whole situations: this one against that one, twice the size, ten percent cheaper.
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Овај стан је два пута већи и за десет одсто јефтинији од претходног” (Ovaj stan je dva puta veći i za deset odsto jeftiniji od prethodnog) — This apartment is twice as big and ten percent cheaper than the previous one. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.