Comparative Degree
The comparative degree indicates that the noun describes has more of the quality than another noun. As such, we can usually translate the comparative as the “-er” or “more” form of the adjective. Occasionally, we can also translate it as “rather [adjective]” or “too [adjective].”
To form the comparative degree of an adjective, get its stem according to the rules of its adjective type and add the endings -ior (M/F) and -ius (N) for the nominative forms. The oblique cases will then be based on the stem -ior-. Confusingly, each of these forms declines like a third declension noun rather than an adjective. Take a look at the declension chart below:
- pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum - handsome, beautiful (stem = pulchr-) > pulchrior, pulchrius - “more handsome, more beautiful”
Singular
| Case | M./F. | Neuter |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | pulchrior | pulchrius |
| Genitive | pulchrior-is | pulchrior-is |
| Dative | pulchrior-ī | pulchrior-ī |
| Accusative | pulchrior-em | pulchrius |
| Ablative | pulchrior-e | pulchrior-e |
Plural
| Case | M./F. | Neuter |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | pulchrior-ēs | pulchrior-a |
| Genitive | pulchrior-um | pulchrior-um |
| Dative | pulchrior-ibus | pulchrior-ibus |
| Accusative | pulchrior-ēs | pulchrior-a |
| Ablative | pulchrior-ibus | pulchrior-ibus |
Note the forms that decline like third declension nouns rather than adjectives: we might expect, for example, an ending of -ia in the neuter nominative and accusative plural, but that is not the case (the ending is simply -a). Like any other adjective, however, comparatives must agree with the noun that they describe in gender, case, and number:
- mīlitēs fortiōrēs erant. The soldiers were braver.
- scīmus matrem nostram sapientiōrem nōbīs esse. We know that our mother is wiser than us. (see below for “than us”)
- iter longius erit. The journey will be rather long.
Comparison with quam and Ablative of Comparison
The comparative degree compares how much of an adjectival quality one noun possesses over another. For example, in the following English sentence:
- This boy is more handsome than that boy.
we are comparing how handsome “this boy” to how handsome “that boy” is, and we are saying that this boy is more handsome than that boy. Note my use of the word “than” here – this word indicates a comparison between two nouns. In Latin, we can use the word quam to indicate “than”, and the two nouns being compared must be in the same case:
- hic puer pulchrior est quam ille puer. This boy is more handsome than that boy.
- mīles fortior erat quam rex ipse. The soldier was braver than the king himself.
- dīcit magistrum sapientiorem esse quam discipulum. He says that the teacher is wiser than the student.
When the noun described by the comparative adjective is in the nominative or accusative, we can put the noun being compared against it into the ablative case and omit the quam entirely. We will thus supply “than” in our translation, since it’s built into the ablative. This construction is called the ablative of comparison. Here are the sentences from above using the ablative of comparison rather than quam:
- hic puer pulchrior est puerō. This boy is more handsome than that boy.
- mīles fortior erat rege ipsō. The soldier is braver than the king himself.
- dīcit magistrum sapientiorem esse discipulō. He says that the teacher is wiser than the student.