Dva puta veći, isti kao, za razliku od: comparing whole situations
You have compared single adjectives since the fourth wave: jeftiniji, bolji, najbolji. This unit wants something else — to compare not words but states of the world: this one against that one, twice as big as it was, 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…
How it works
You have compared single adjectives since the fourth wave: jeftiniji, bolji, najbolji. This unit wants something else — to compare not words but states of the world: this one against that one, twice as big as it was, ten percent cheaper.
The second term of comparison comes in two shapes. Od with the of-form: bolji od tebe — better than you, veći od prošlog. Or nego with the same case as the first item: bolji nego prošle godine. The first is shorter; the second is obligatory when two ACTIONS are compared: lakše je reći nego uraditi — easier said than done. English covers both with "than"; Serbian splits them.
Multiples are counted with the word put — times: dva puta veći — twice as big, tri puta jeftinije, upola manji — half the size. A difference in units takes the preposition za: za pet godina stariji — older by five years, za deset odsto skuplji, za dva centimetra širi — where English says "by five years", Serbian says za.
Equality: isti kao, isto toliko kao, jednako kao. Isti takav means "exactly the same", and sličan demands the to-case: sličan ocu — like his father.
Whole situations are set against each other by openers, all three standing first with a comma after them: u poređenju sa with the with-form, za razliku od with the of-form, nasuprot with the to-case.
The see-saw of two scales is the construction što… to…: što više radiš, to manje stigneš — the more you work, the less you get done — Serbian's "the more…the less…", built almost the same way.
And the trap. Nego cannot become od when a whole clause or verb follows: Bolje je ćutati nego reći glupost — better to keep quiet than to say something stupid. "Bolje od reći" is heard as a slip at once.
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 have compared single adjectives since the fourth wave: jeftiniji, bolji, najbolji. This unit wants something else — to compare not words but states of the world: this one against that one, twice as big as it was, 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.