Comparison: dorozhche, nizh... and dorozhche za...
The comparative comes from -sh- or -ish-, often chewing the consonant on the way. Dorohyi → dorozhchyi, deshevyi → deshevshyi, vysokyi → vyshchyi, blyzkyi → blyzhchyi. The adverb version ends in -e: dorozhche, deshevche, vyshche, blyzhche, krashche. For example: “Тут дешевше, ніж у супермаркеті” — It is cheaper here than in the supermarket. A rule from the Ukrainian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
The comparative comes from -sh- or -ish-, often chewing the consonant on the way. Dorohyi → dorozhchyi, deshevyi → deshevshyi, vysokyi → vyshchyi, blyzkyi → blyzhchyi. The adverb version ends in -e: dorozhche, deshevche, vyshche, blyzhche, krashche.
English says than once and is done; Ukrainian offers two ways, both correct. With nizh plus the naming form: dorozhche, nizh u misti. With za plus the object form: dorozhche za misto. The second is shorter and livelier; the first is required when whole clauses are compared.
Watch out: nizh is also the word for knife. Only the place in the sentence tells them apart — after a comparative it is always than.
The superlative is the prefix nai-: naidorozhchyi, naikrashchyi, naiblyzhchyi. For extra punch: shchonai- and iaknai- — shchonaikrashchyi, the very best there is.
Table
| trait | comparative | superlative |
|---|---|---|
| dorohyi | dorozhchyi | naidorozhchyi |
| vysokyi | vyshchyi | naivyshchyi |
| harnyi | krashchyi | naikrashchyi |
| blyzkyi | blyzhchyi | naiblyzhchyi |
By example
- Тут дешевше, ніж у супермаркетіIt is cheaper here than in the supermarket
- Цей ніж гостріший за тойThis knife is sharper than that one
- Це найкращий варіант із усіхIt is the best option of them 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
Dorozhche nizh or dorozhche za: than in Ukrainian?
The comparative comes from -sh- or -ish-, often chewing the consonant on the way. Dorohyi → dorozhchyi, deshevyi → deshevshyi, vysokyi → vyshchyi, blyzkyi → blyzhchyi. The adverb version ends in -e: dorozhche, deshevche, vyshche, blyzhche, krashche.
What does it look like in an example sentence Ukrainian?
“Тут дешевше, ніж у супермаркеті” — It is cheaper here than in the supermarket. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.