Bigger than: the particle விட
A Tamil adjective does not inflect. There is no pair 'dear — dearer', no 'big — bigger': பெரிய stays பெரிய however much you compare. For example: “அதைவிட இது பெரிசு” — This is bigger than that. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A Tamil adjective does not inflect. There is no pair 'dear — dearer', no 'big — bigger': பெரிய (periya) stays பெரிய however much you compare.
The comparison is made by a separate word — விட (viḍa) 'compared with, than'. It glues onto what is compared with, and this whole bundle comes first: அதைவிட இது பெரிசு (adaiviḍa idu perisu) — 'than that, this is big', that is, 'this is bigger than that'. Note that before விட the word stands in the object form — அது (adu) → அதை (adai), இந்தக் கடை (indak kaḍai) → இந்தக் கடையை (indak kaḍaiyai).
The superlative is made the same way, only you compare with everything at once: எல்லாத்தையும் விட (ellāttaiyum viḍa) — 'than everything', that is, 'the…est'.
The mistake everybody makes: trying to say 'bigger' with one word and taking அதிகம் (adigam). அதிகம் means 'a lot', not 'more'. Without விட there is no comparison.
Table
| What we compare with | Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| அது → அதை | அதைவிட இது பெரிசு | this is bigger than that |
| இந்தக் கடை → கடையை | இந்தக் கடையைவிட விலை குறைவு | cheaper than in this shop |
| எல்லாம் → எல்லாத்தையும் | எல்லாத்தையும் விட நல்லது | the best of all |
By example
- அதைவிட இது பெரிசுadaiviḍa idu perisuThis is bigger than that
- மாங்காய் மீனைவிட விலை குறைவுmāṅkāy mīṉaiviḍa vilai kuṟaivuMangoes are cheaper than fish
- எல்லாத்தையும் விட இது நல்லதுellāttaiyum viḍa idu nalladuThis is the best of all
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
Bigger than: how does it work in Tamil?
A Tamil adjective does not inflect. There is no pair 'dear — dearer', no 'big — bigger': பெரிய stays பெரிய however much you compare.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“அதைவிட இது பெரிசு” (adaiviḍa idu perisu) — This is bigger than that. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.