6. Comparative and Superlative Degrees
Only qualitative adjectives can have a superlative or comparative form. If an English adjective can be used comparatively or superlatively, the equivalent Belarusian adjective most likely can as well. By the same token, if the English adjective cannot be used comparatively or superlatively, the Belarusian adjective probably cannot also.
6.1 Short comparative adjective formation
The short comparative form of an adjective is identical to the
comparative adverb. The comparative adverb is formed by removing the
final –ы or –і and replacing it with an accented –ей. See **29.4 for more on the comparative adverb.
бедны‘poor’бядней‘poorer’
белы‘white’бялей‘whiter’
*важны‘important’важнейmore important*
*вольны‘free’вальнейmore free*
*вясёлы‘fun’весялейmore fun*
*дакладны‘precise’дакладнейmore precise*
ранні‘early’раней‘earlier’
If the last consonant of the adjective is invariably non-palatized, the
final –ы is replaced with –эй.
мудры‘wise’мудрэй‘wiser’
прыгожы‘beautiful’прыгажэйmore beautiful
хітры‘cunning’хітрэйmore cunning
For adjectives ending in –ты or –ды, the ending is removed and
replaced with one of the accented endings –цей or –дзей**
respectively.
багаты‘rich’багацей‘richer’
*густыthick, viscousгусцейthicker, more viscous*
жоўты‘yellow’жаўцейmore yellow
*маладыyoungмаладзе*й‘younger’
*просты‘simple’прасце*й‘simpler’
*тоўстыthick, fatтаўсцейthicker, fatter*
цвёрдыhard, firmцвярдзейharder, firmer
*чысты‘clean’чысце*й‘cleaner’
**There are a number of irregular comparative adjectives.
высокі‘high’вышей‘higher’
*глыбокі‘deep’глыбе*й‘deeper’
далёкі‘far’далей‘farther’
шырокі‘wide’шырэй‘wider’
блізкі‘near’бліжэй‘nearer’
*вузкі‘narrow’вужэ*й‘narrower’
гладкі‘smooth’гладзей‘smoother’
кароткі‘short’карацей‘shorter’
*салодкі‘sweet’саладзе*й‘sweeter’
глухіdeafглушэй‘deafer’
*дарагіexpensiveдаражэйmore expensive*
*доўгі‘long’даўжэ*й‘longer’
*лёгкі‘light’лягчэ*й‘lighter’
*мяккі‘soft’мякчэ*й‘softer’
ціхі‘quiet’цішэй‘quieter’
хуткі‘fast’хутчэй‘faster’
6.2 Short comparative adverb usage
Because short comparative adjectives are adverbs, they do not decline and can only be used predicatively.
Я маладзей за яго.I am younger than him.
Кожнаму хацелася стаць бліжэйEach wanted to get closer to the
water.
да вады.
6.3 Irregular short comparative adjectives
a small number of adjectives have unique short comparative adjective
forms, separate from their short comparative adverb form. These
adjectives all end in –**шы, decline like other adjectives, and are
not limited to predicate usage.
вялікі‘big’большы‘bigger’
добры‘good’лепшы‘better’
*дрэнны‘bad’го*ршы‘worse’
малыsmallменшы‘smaller’
Some examples of usage of short comparative adjectives are given.
Сам быў не ў лепшым стане.I myself was not in any better shape.
Там былі яблыкі болшыя,The apples were bigger over there
чым тут.than here.
*The adjective малады, ‘young’, has the normal short comparative form
маладзей, but it also has an additional short comparative form
малодшы, which has the specialized meaning of junior. The
adjective стары does not have a normal short comparative form, but
there is the specialized word старшы, which means ‘older’, or ‘senior’. Both малодшы and ста*ршы are used like any normal
adjective.
Малодшы лейтэнант камандаваўThe junior lieutenant commanded
мінамётнай ротай.the mortar company.
апроч мяне была ў маці яшчэMy mother had another daughter
besides
дачка, мая сястра старшая.me, my older sister.
6.4 Long comparative adjectives
adjectives that do not have a short comparative form can be used
comparatively by placing either больш, ‘more’, or менш, ‘less’, before
the word.
Я больш палітычны, чым выI am more tactful than both of
разам узятыя.you combined.
*Беражок ля *ямы стаў большThe rim around the hole became
зручны.more convenient.
6.5 Superlatives ending in –ейшы or –эйшы**
any adjective which has a short comparative form can form a superlative
by appending the ending –шы to that short comparative form.
adjectives without a short comparative form that ends in –ей or
–**эй do not have a unique superlative form.
бядней‘poorer’бяднейшы‘poorest’
*бялей‘whiter’бяле*йшы‘whitest’
даражэйmore expensiveдаражэйшыmost expensive
*карацей‘shorter’караце*йшы‘shortest’
мякчэй‘softer’мякчэйшы‘softest’
раней‘earlier’ранейшы‘earliest’
The adjective стары, ‘old’, has no short comparative form, but does
have the superlative старэйшы, ‘oldest’.
6.6 Superlatives using the adverb самы
The superlative form of any qualitative adjective can be formed by
placing the adjective самы, ‘most’, before the adjective and by then
declining самы to agree with the adjective. This is the form used for
adjectives that do not have a superlative form ending in –ейшы or
–эйшы, like the adjectives discussed in Section 6.3.
Яны стаялі перад самым крутымThey stood in front of the
steepest hill.
узгоркам.
а ўвогуле розум — не самаеGenerally, the mind is not the most
галоўнае ў чалавеку.important thing to a person.
6.8 Superlatives with the prefix най**-
This prefix can be appended to ordinary superlatives, the comparative
adjectives mentioned in Section 6.3, or to adjectives that normally
has no special superlative form. The prefix най- slightly changes
the meaning of the word. a normal superlative indicates that the
characteristic of the noun is the extreme when compared to others. When
the prefix най- is appended, the meaning indicates that the
characteristic of the adjective is extreme, regardless of whether it is
compared to others or not.
*Гэта — найбольшы знак дляThis is a really big sign for the town
that*
*гарадка, што заўтра вайна.war is tomorrow.*
*Гэтую даведку, бы найдаражэйшыShe buried this affidavit in the
papers, as*
дакумент, яна загарнула ўif it were a most valuable document.
паперку.
*Я калісьці буду найпершы.Someday I will be the very first.*