English makes comparatives in two ways: a suffix for short words (old → older) and the word more for long ones (more interesting). Czech does not split its adjectives that way — it almost always uses a suffix, no matter how long the word is. The analytic více + adjective (the literal equivalent of more X) exists but is rare and usually marked, used only for special contrast or with a handful of words that resist a suffix. For an English speaker the lesson is blunt: stop reaching for more and learn to build the suffix instead. The challenge is that Czech has three comparative suffixes (-ější, -ší, -čí), the choice between them is partly lexical, and the shorter ones often force a consonant change in the stem. This page shows you how to build the comparative; choosing než vs the genitive to say than is covered on the než vs genitive page.
-ější: the productive default
For the great majority of adjectives, add -ější to the stem. This is the safe, regular choice and the one new words always take.
| Base | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rychlý | rychlejší | fast → faster |
| moderní | modernější | modern → more modern |
| krásný | krásnější | beautiful → more beautiful |
| zajímavý | zajímavější | interesting → more interesting |
| silný | silnější | strong → stronger |
Tahle kavárna je mnohem příjemnější než ta naproti.
This café is much nicer than the one across the street.
Dej mi prosím silnější kávu, jsem strašně unavená.
Give me a stronger coffee please, I'm terribly tired.
-ší: a fixed set of common adjectives
A group of very common, mostly one-syllable-stem adjectives take the shorter -ší. There is no rule predicting membership — treat them as a closed list to memorise:
| Base | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mladý | mladší | young → younger |
| starý | starší | old → older |
| slabý | slabší | weak → weaker |
| hrubý | hrubší | coarse → coarser |
| tvrdý | tvrdší | hard → harder |
Můj bratr je o tři roky starší než já.
My brother is three years older than me.
-čí and the consonant changes
When the suffix begins with a front sound, the final stem consonant often softens or alternates. This is where most errors happen, so learn the main pairs:
| Change | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| h → ž | drahý → dražší | expensive → more expensive |
| ch → š | tichý → tišší | quiet → quieter |
| k → č (+ -čí) | lehký → lehčí | light/easy → lighter/easier |
| k → č (+ -čí) | měkký → měkčí | soft → softer |
| k → č (+ -čí) | hezký → hezčí | pretty → prettier |
| z → ž (stem cut) | nízký → nižší | low → lower |
A handful cut the stem and add -ší with a vowel change: vysoký → vyšší (tall → taller), úzký → užší (narrow → narrower), krátký → kratší (short → shorter). These overlap with the small -čí family (lehčí, měkčí, hezčí), where k becomes č.
Tahle restaurace je dražší, ale jídlo tu stojí za to.
This restaurant is more expensive, but the food here is worth it.
Druhý úkol byl mnohem lehčí než ten první.
The second task was much easier than the first.
These changes are not random noise to be memorised cell by cell — they are the fossil of a sound long gone. The comparative suffix historically began with a soft front vowel, and that softness reached back and palatalised the consonant in front of it: a hard h, ch, k could not survive next to it and shifted to its soft partner ž, š, č. The same softening logic runs all through Czech (you meet it again in the vocative and in verb conjugation), so once you recognise the h→ž, ch→š, k→č pattern here, you will spot it everywhere. Knowing why the consonant moves makes it far easier to produce the right form under pressure than treating each word as an isolated exception.
The irregular handful
Five everyday adjectives have completely irregular, suppletive comparatives — different roots entirely. They are extremely frequent, so learn them as vocabulary on day one:
| Base | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dobrý | lepší | good → better |
| špatný | horší | bad → worse |
| velký | větší | big → bigger |
| malý | menší | small → smaller |
| dlouhý | delší | long → longer |
Praha je mnohem větší než Brno, ale Brno se mi líbí víc.
Prague is much bigger than Brno, but I like Brno more.
Tahle varianta je rozhodně lepší, pojďme do toho.
This option is definitely better, let's go for it.
The comparative declines like a soft adjective
A comparative is still an adjective, so it must agree with its noun — and it always declines on the soft pattern (like jarní), with -í in the nominative and the soft endings -ího, -ímu, -ím in the oblique cases, regardless of which suffix built it.
Přestěhovali se do menšího bytu blíž k centru.
They moved to a smaller flat closer to the centre. (genitive — menšího bytu)
Bavil jsem se s tvým mladším bratrem.
I was chatting with your younger brother. (instrumental — mladším bratrem)
So rychlejší becomes rychlejšího, rychlejšímu, rychlejším; starší becomes staršího, staršímu, starším. The comparative never reverts to hard endings.
Common Mistakes
❌ Praha je víc velká než Brno.
Incorrect — Czech uses the synthetic comparative, not 'více/víc + adjective': větší.
✅ Praha je větší než Brno.
Prague is bigger than Brno.
❌ Tahle restaurace je drahší.
Incorrect — the h must alternate to ž: dražší.
✅ Tahle restaurace je dražší.
This restaurant is more expensive.
❌ Moje auto je dobřejší než tvoje.
Incorrect — dobrý has a suppletive comparative: lepší.
✅ Moje auto je lepší než tvoje.
My car is better than yours.
❌ Bydlí v menší bytě.
Incorrect — the comparative still declines (soft pattern): v menším bytě.
✅ Bydlí v menším bytě.
They live in a smaller flat.
❌ Je to ještě více lepší řešení.
Incorrect — no double comparative; lepší already means 'better'.
✅ Je to ještě lepší řešení.
It's an even better solution.
Key Takeaways
- Default to -ější; it is the productive suffix that new and most adjectives take.
- Learn the -ší set (mladší, starší, slabší…) and the small -čí set (lehčí, měkčí, hezčí) as fixed groups.
- Short suffixes trigger consonant changes: h→ž, ch→š, k→č — they are obligatory, not optional.
- Memorise the five irregulars: lepší, horší, větší, menší, delší.
- The comparative always declines as a soft adjective: rychlejšího, mladšímu, menším.
Now practice Czech
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- Irregular Comparatives and SuperlativesB1 — The suppletive forms: dobrý→lepší, špatný→horší, velký→větší, malý→menší, dlouhý→delší.
- The Superlative: the nej- PrefixB1 — Building superlatives by adding nej- to the comparative (nejrychlejší).
- Comparison With než and With the GenitiveB1 — Two ways to mark 'than': než + same case, or the bare genitive of comparison.
- Soft Adjectives: the -í PatternA2 — The soft adjective class — model jarní — uses a single -í ending for masculine, feminine, and neuter alike, giving it far fewer distinct forms than the hard type.
- Comparison of AdverbsB1 — Comparative and superlative adverbs, including the irregulars.