The particle ol introduces the standard in an unequal comparison: the thing, person, time, place, action, or situation that differs from the first one. It most often corresponds to English than, but its grammar is broader and more systematic. Ol is invariant, and the form after it comes from that expression’s role in an understood or explicit clause—not from government by ol.
The core unequal-comparison pattern
The most familiar frame is pli/malpli + gradable expression + ol + standard.
La nova ponto estas pli larĝa ol la malnova.
The new bridge is wider than the old one.
La vespera kurso estas malpli multekosta ol la matena.
The evening course is less expensive than the morning one.
Post la paŭzo ŝi parolis pli trankvile ol antaŭe.
After the break, she spoke more calmly than before.
The first two sentences compare degrees of an adjective; the third compares manner at two times. Ol does not itself mean “more” or “less.” Pli and malpli establish the direction on the scale, while ol merely introduces the baseline.
The particles remain unchanged. Number and case appear on the adjective or noun that requires them:
Ni elektis pli komfortajn seĝojn ol la faldeblajn.
We chose more comfortable chairs than the folding ones.
Here komfortajn seĝojn is plural accusative. Pli and ol take no endings.
Ol also follows words of difference
Although learners first meet ol after pli and malpli, it also works with expressions whose lexical meaning already signals difference: alia “other/different,” malsama “different,” alie “otherwise,” malsame “differently,” and related formations.
La fina versio aspektas tute alia ol la unua skizo.
The final version looks completely different from the first draft.
La du fratoj reagis malsame ol iliaj gepatroj atendis.
The two brothers reacted differently from what their parents expected.
Hodiaŭ la situacio estas alia ol hieraŭ.
Today the situation is different from yesterday.
English alternates among than, from, and to after words such as different. Esperanto can retain ol because all these expressions set one value against a nonidentical standard.
Do not use ol after a mere adjective that contains no comparative meaning. La plano estas malbona ol la alia lacks a word establishing inequality. Say pli malbona ol or choose a lexical relation such as malsama ol.
What can follow ol
The standard is not limited to a noun. Ol can introduce several kinds of constituent because comparison can relate many kinds of information.
| Standard | Example fragment | What is compared |
|---|---|---|
| noun phrase | pli alta ol la turo | two heights |
| time or place | pli varme ol hieraŭ | degrees at two times |
| prepositional phrase | pli ofte kun Ana ol kun Leo | two relationships |
| infinitive | prefere resti ol veturi | two actions |
| finite clause | pli longe, ol ni antaŭvidis | actual and predicted duration |
En la valo estas pli varme ol sur la monto.
It is warmer in the valley than on the mountain.
Mi pli volonte atendus ĉi tie ol revenus morgaŭ.
I would rather wait here than come back tomorrow.
La instalado daŭris multe pli longe, ol la teknikisto promesis.
The installation took much longer than the technician promised.
In the final example, ol itself introduces the finite comparison clause; do not add ke. The clause has its own subject and tense.
Recover the hidden clause to choose case
A short phrase after ol often represents a longer clause with repeated words left unspoken. Recovering those words reveals whether a pronoun or noun is a subject, object, or prepositional complement.
Lina admiras la kuraciston pli ol mi.
Lina admires the doctor more than I do.
The expansion is ol mi admiras la kuraciston. Mi is the subject, so it has no -n.
Lina admiras la kuraciston pli ol min.
Lina admires the doctor more than she admires me.
Now the expansion is ol Lina admiras min. Min is the object. English conversational than me can blur this distinction; Esperanto case makes the intended comparison visible.
La redaktoro diskutis la titolon pli longe kun Eva ol kun Marko.
The editor discussed the title longer with Eva than with Marko.
The understood structure is ol la redaktoro diskutis ĝin kun Marko, so the repeated relation is kun. Ol does not replace that preposition.
If a short comparison remains ambiguous even with case marking, spell out the relevant verb and arguments.
Sara fidas Davidon pli, ol ŝia estro fidas lin.
Sara trusts David more than her manager trusts him.
Sara fidas Davidon pli, ol ŝi fidas sian estron.
Sara trusts David more than she trusts her manager.
The fuller clauses cost a few extra words but prevent two radically different readings. This principle is developed further under comparing actions and clauses.
Ol versus kiel
Use ol only when the values are unequal or different. Equality and matching similarity use kiel.
La dua baterio daŭras pli longe ol la unua.
The second battery lasts longer than the first.
La dua baterio daŭras tiel longe kiel la unua.
The second battery lasts as long as the first.
This minimal contrast is structural, not optional style. Pli/malpli/alia/malsame point toward ol; tiel/same/simile point toward kiel. Review equality with tiel… kiel… for equal-degree patterns.
Ol versus el with superlatives
A comparative standard and a superlative set are packaged differently.
Miro estas pli sperta ol la aliaj kandidatoj.
Miro is more experienced than the other candidates.
Miro estas la plej sperta el ĉiuj kandidatoj.
Miro is the most experienced of all the candidates.
Ol places Miro against another standard. El identifies the set from which a highest-ranking member is selected. The Fundamento explicitly establishes both patterns. Do not introduce a superlative set with ol.
Number thresholds: pli ol as one unit
Before a number or quantity expression, pli ol means “a number/amount exceeding.” It functions together as a modifier of the following quantity.
La riparo kostos pli ol kvincent eŭrojn.
The repair will cost more than five hundred euros.
Ni atendis malpli ol dudek minutojn.
We waited less than twenty minutes.
The accusative endings belong to the price or duration expressions kvincent eŭrojn and dudek minutojn. Ol remains unchanged. Detailed contrasts among pli da, pli multaj, and numerical pli ol belong to quantity comparison.
Questions, negation, and an unstated standard
Ĉu la nova itinero vere estas pli rapida ol la malnova?
Is the new route really faster than the old one?
La rezulto ne estis pli bona ol pasintfoje.
The result was not better than last time.
Negation scopes over the superiority claim: the result did not exceed the earlier result. It might have been equal or worse. Ne pli bona is therefore not automatically identical to malpli bona, which directly places it lower.
The standard can remain unspoken when context supplies it.
—Ĉu ni mendu la grandan ekranon? —Ne, la meza estas pli malmultekosta kaj sufiĉe granda.
‘Should we order the large screen?’ ‘No, the medium one is cheaper and big enough.’
No ol phrase is needed because “than the large one” is obvious. In technical or argumentative prose (formal), name the baseline whenever omitting it would weaken precision.
Punctuation and register
A short ol phrase normally attaches directly without a comma: pli alta ol mi. A full or heavy clause may be preceded by a comma to make the clause boundary clear: pli alta, ol mi atendis. Esperanto punctuation allows some stylistic variation; clarity and rhythm govern the choice more than an inflexible rule.
Ol is neutral in every register. The temporal conjunction antaŭ ol “before” contains the same form but is not a degree comparison; keep that construction conceptually separate.
Common Mistakes
1. Using kiel after an unequal comparative
❌ La nova procesoro estas pli rapida kiel la malnova.
Incorrect — pli requires the unequal comparison particle ol.
✅ La nova procesoro estas pli rapida ol la malnova.
The new processor is faster than the old one.
2. Giving ol an ending
❌ Ni elektis pli bonan oferton olan la unuan.
Incorrect — ol is an invariant particle and never takes -a or -n.
✅ Ni elektis pli bonan oferton ol la unuan.
We chose a better offer than the first one.
3. Copying English object case after than
❌ Eliza kuras pli rapide ol min.
Incorrect for ‘than I do’ — the understood pronoun is the subject.
✅ Eliza kuras pli rapide ol mi.
Eliza runs faster than I do.
4. Dropping a required preposition
❌ Mi parolas pli ofte kun Lejla ol Karlo.
Incorrect for comparing two conversation partners — Karlo needs the repeated kun relation.
✅ Mi parolas pli ofte kun Lejla ol kun Karlo.
I speak more often with Lejla than with Karlo.
5. Using ol for a superlative set
❌ Tio estas la plej alta konstruaĵo ol ĉiuj en la kvartalo.
Incorrect — a superlative selects a member from a set with el.
✅ Tio estas la plej alta konstruaĵo el ĉiuj en la kvartalo.
That is the tallest building of all in the neighborhood.
Key Takeaways
- Ol introduces the standard of an unequal or different comparison and never inflects.
- It works after pli, malpli, alia, malsama, alie, and similar expressions.
- Case and prepositions after ol come from the role in the understood clause.
- Equality takes kiel; a superlative set normally takes el.
- Write out a full comparison clause whenever ellipsis would leave the intended participants unclear.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Comparatives with Pli and MalpliA2 — Compare higher and lower degrees with the invariant particles pli and malpli, and choose correctly among degree, quantity, and equality patterns.
- Equality with Tiel… Kiel…B1 — Express equal degree and manner with tiel… kiel…, distinguish equality from inequality and quantity, and control ellipsis and scope.
- Quantity ComparisonB2 — Compare amounts and counts with pli da, pli multaj, tiom… kiom…, and numerical thresholds while keeping degree and addition distinct.
- Comparing Actions and ClausesC1 — Compare whole actions and propositions with ol and kiel, manage ellipsis and scope, and make tense, case, and parallel structure explicit.
- Superlatives with Plej and MalplejA2 — Identify the highest and lowest points on a scale with plej and malplej, and express the comparison set precisely.
- Comparison ClausesB2 — How finite and shortened clauses with kiel, ol, and kvazaŭ compare degrees, actions, situations, and imagined scenes.