Persian normally forms a comparative adjective by adding ـتر -tar: بزرگتر bozorg-tar “bigger,” سریعتر sari'-tar “faster.” The thing used as the standard of comparison is introduced with از az “than/from.” Unlike English, Persian does not alternate between an ending like -er and a separate word like more: ـتر is the general productive strategy for scalar adjectives.
The core pattern
| Function | Persian pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| derived comparative | adjective + ـتر | سردتر “colder” |
| standard of comparison | X + از + Y + adjectiveـتر + copula | این از آن ارزانتر است |
| attributive comparative | noun + ezafe + adjectiveـتر | اتاق بزرگتر |
| degree modification | کمی/خیلی/بهمراتب + adjectiveـتر | خیلی سریعتر |
The suffix changes degree, not gender or number. بزرگتر has the same form with خانه “house,” اتاقها “rooms,” and a human subject. That follows the broader rule that Persian adjectives do not agree.
Attach ـتر as a suffix
In standard Iranian spelling, productive ـتر is written with a ZWNJ after an adjective whose final letter joins: بلندتر، گرمتر، دقیقتر. The half-space makes the morphological boundary visible without turning the suffix into an independent word. After a nonjoining final letter, as in زیباتر, no visible connection is possible anyway.
امروز هوا گرمتر است.
emruz havâ garm-tar ast.
The weather is warmer today. (neutral standard)
این نسخه دقیقتر و خواناتر است.
in noskhe daqiq-tar va khânâ-tar ast.
This version is more accurate and more readable. (neutral standard)
ـتر is highly productive with adjectives that describe a scale: size, speed, price, age, temperature, difficulty, and similar properties. It is not automatically meaningful with classifying adjectives. For example, “more wooden” needs a special context in which چوبیتر means “more wood-like” rather than simply “made of wood.” Such coerced readings belong to advanced style, not the basic rule.
Introduce “than” with از
The standard follows از and normally appears before the comparative adjective. With a copular predicate, the neutral template is X از Y adjectiveـتر است.
این مسیر از جادهی اصلی کوتاهتر است.
in masir az jâde-ye asli kutâh-tar ast.
This route is shorter than the main road. (neutral standard)
لیلا از من صبورتر است.
Leylâ az man sabur-tar ast.
Leila is more patient than I am. (neutral standard)
Persian از من corresponds to English than me/than I am. No special comparative case or form of the pronoun is required. The same preposition از also means “from” elsewhere; the comparative adjective makes the “than” relation clear.
The standard can be a clause-like nominal expression when the comparison is about circumstances rather than two objects:
جلسه از آنچه انتظار داشتیم طولانیتر شد.
jalse az ânche entezâr dâshtim tulâni-tar shod.
The meeting became longer than we expected. (careful standard)
When the standard is obvious, omit the entire از phrase. Persian does not require an explicit “than” complement merely because ـتر appears.
این یکی ارزانتر است؛ همان را بخریم.
in yeki arzân-tar ast; hamân râ bekharim.
This one is cheaper; let's buy that one. (careful spoken standard)
Predicative and attributive comparatives
A predicative comparative makes the sentence's assertion and takes a copula, with no ezafe before the adjective: اتاق بزرگتر است “The room is bigger.” An attributive comparative helps identify a noun and follows it through ezafe: اتاق بزرگتر otâq-e bozorg-tar “the bigger room.” The writing may look nearly identical, but syntax and pronunciation differ.
اتاق بزرگتر است، اما نور کافی ندارد.
otâq bozorg-tar ast, ammâ nur-e kâfi nadârad.
The room is bigger, but it doesn't have enough light. (predicative comparative)
اتاق بزرگتر را برای جلسه رزرو کردم.
otâq-e bozorg-tar râ barâ-ye jalse rezerv kardam.
I reserved the bigger room for the meeting. (attributive comparative)
In the second example, ezafe links اتاق to بزرگتر, and object marker را follows the complete noun phrase. Comparative morphology never replaces ezafe.
An attributive phrase can retain its standard:
به مسیر کوتاهتر از این نیاز داریم.
be masir-e kutâh-tar az in niyâz dârim.
We need a route shorter than this one. (neutral standard)
Here از این belongs semantically to کوتاهتر, not to نیاز داریم. In a crowded sentence, Persian speakers may rephrase to prevent that attachment from becoming ambiguous.
Modifying the difference
Words before the comparative show how large the difference is. کمی means “a little/slightly,” خیلی means “much/a lot” in ordinary speech and writing, and بهمراتب means “by far/considerably” in formal prose.
این مدل کمی سبکتر است، ولی قیمتش همان است.
in model kami sabok-tar ast, vali qeymat-ash hamân ast.
This model is a little lighter, but its price is the same. (neutral standard)
قطار خیلی راحتتر از اتوبوس بود.
qetâr kheyli râhat-tar az otobus bud.
The train was much more comfortable than the bus. (ordinary spoken standard)
راهحل دوم بهمراتب عملیتر است.
râh-hal-e dovvom be-marâteb amali-tar ast.
The second solution is considerably more practical. (formal)
English very does not normally modify a comparative, but Persian خیلی بهتر/بزرگتر naturally means “much better/bigger.” Translate the construction as a whole rather than assigning one fixed English word to خیلی.
A short dialogue
کدام لپتاپ برای سفر مناسبتر است؟
kodâm laptop barâ-ye safar monâseb-tar ast?
Which laptop is more suitable for travel? (careful spoken standard)
این یکی از آن مدل سبکتر است و باتری بهتری دارد.
in yeki az ân model sabok-tar ast va bâtri-ye behtari dârad.
This one is lighter than that model and has a better battery. (careful spoken standard)
The standard از آن مدل precedes سبکتر. The phrase باتری بهتری is attributive and indefinite; the next page on irregular comparison explains بهتر.
Common Mistakes
1. Writing the productive suffix as a separate word
❌ این سالن وسیع تر است.
Incorrect standard spacing — productive ـتر takes a ZWNJ after a joining letter.
✅ این سالن وسیعتر است.
in sâlon vasi'-tar ast.
This hall is more spacious.
2. Copying English “than” with a conjunction
❌ این مسیر که آن مسیر کوتاهتر است.
Incorrect — the comparison standard is introduced by از, not که.
✅ این مسیر از آن مسیر کوتاهتر است.
in masir az ân masir kutâh-tar ast.
This route is shorter than that route.
3. Dropping ezafe in an attributive comparative
❌ اتاق بزرگتر را گرفتیم.
otâq bozorg-tar râ gereftim
Incorrect reading for ‘the bigger room’ — pronounce ezafe after اتاق.
✅ اتاق بزرگتر را گرفتیم.
otâq-e bozorg-tar râ gereftim.
We took the bigger room.
4. Placing the degree word after the comparative
❌ این مدل سبکتر خیلی است.
Incorrect neutral order — خیلی precedes the adjective it modifies.
✅ این مدل خیلی سبکتر است.
in model kheyli sabok-tar ast.
This model is much lighter.
Key Takeaways
- Add productive ـتر with standard ZWNJ spelling: بزرگتر.
- Introduce the standard with از: X از Y بزرگتر است.
- Predicative comparatives take a copula; attributive comparatives follow their noun through ezafe.
- Put difference modifiers before the comparative: کمی بزرگتر، خیلی بهتر، بهمراتب دقیقتر.
- Use ـتر productively only when the adjective supports a meaningful degree scale.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
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