A comparative phrase sets nouns against each other; a comparative clause uses a proposition as the standard: “taller than I thought” or “as difficult as it looked.” Greek uses απ' ό,τι, finite όσο, or παρά να before a rejected alternative.
από + noun, but απ' ό,τι + clause
Από + accusative noun phrase names a nominal standard. A finite standard instead uses απ' ό,τι or unelided από ό,τι, “than what.” Review the comparative forms under comparatives with πιο and comparison of adverbs.
Η διαδρομή ήταν πιο σύντομη απ' ό,τι υπολογίζαμε.
i dhiadhromí ítan pio síndomi ap' óti ipoloyízame
The route was shorter than we had calculated.
Ο καινούριος καναπές είναι μεγαλύτερος απ' ό,τι έδειχνε στο κατάστημα.
o kenúrios kanapés íne meghalíteros ap' óti édhichne sto katástima
The new sofa is bigger than it looked in the shop.
Τελικά ήρθαν λιγότεροι καλεσμένοι απ' ό,τι περιμέναμε.
teliká írthan lighóteri kalezméni ap' óti periméname
In the end, fewer guests came than we expected.
Ό,τι contains a comma and means “what/whatever”; complementizer ότι “that” does not. Before ό,τι, από may remain full or elide: από ό,τι and απ' ό,τι are both standard. Invariable ό,τι has no case ending; the finite verb takes the required tense.
What the comparative clause leaves unspoken
The clause after απ' ό,τι often sounds incomplete if translated word for word because Greek omits material recoverable from the main clause.
Η Εύα είναι ψηλότερη απ' ό,τι νόμιζα.
i Éva íne psilóteri ap' óti nómiza
Eva is taller than I thought.
The interpretation is approximately “taller than I thought that Eva was,” but repeating η Εύα ήταν ψηλή would be cumbersome. The comparative supplies the scale; context recovers the subject and predicate. English uses similar ellipsis, but Greek explicitly inserts ό,τι.
The understood material need not describe a person. It can recover a quantity, frequency, speed, or degree.
Το έργο κόστισε πολύ περισσότερο απ' ό,τι είχε ανακοινωθεί αρχικά.
to éryo kóstise polí perisótero ap' óti íche anakoinothí archiká
The project cost much more than had originally been announced. (formal)
This compressed pattern is neutral in conversation and particularly useful in (formal) reporting, where the standard is a claim, forecast, or estimate rather than an object.
Equality with τόσο…όσο
For “as…as,” Greek correlates τόσο in the main clause with όσο in the comparison clause. When όσο introduces a finite clause, that clause states the benchmark.
Το μάθημα δεν ήταν τόσο δύσκολο όσο φοβόμουν.
to máthima dhen ítan tóso dhískolo óso fovómun
The lesson was not as difficult as I feared.
Η εφαρμογή λειτουργεί τόσο γρήγορα όσο μας υποσχέθηκαν.
i efarmoyí lituryí tóso ghríghora óso mas iposchéthikan
The app works as quickly as they promised us.
Έμεινε στο γραφείο όσο χρειαζόταν για να τελειώσει την αναφορά.
émine sto ghrafío óso chriazótan ya na teliósi tin anaforá
She stayed at the office as long as was needed to finish the report.
The first two display the full pair. In the third, όσο χρειαζόταν itself measures the required duration; an overt τόσο is unnecessary because the main duration is supplied by έμεινε. This is why the two-part frame is productive rather than a rigid idiom.
Proportional όσο…τόσο—“the more…, the more…”—places two degree clauses in correspondence. Each finite clause supplies its own subject and tense, while the degree words link their scales.
Όσο ανέβαινε η θερμοκρασία, τόσο αυξανόταν η κατανάλωση ρεύματος.
óso anévene i thermokrasía, tóso afksanótan i katanálosi révmatos
The more the temperature rose, the more electricity consumption increased.
The proportional meanings and alternative word orders are treated in depth on correlative constructions.
παρά να: choosing one clause over another
After προτιμώ or another expression of choice, παρά να introduces the alternative that is rejected. The two alternatives are normally parallel να-clauses.
Προτιμώ να πάρω ταξί παρά να περιμένω άλλη μία ώρα.
protimó na páro taksí pará na periméno áli mía óra
I'd rather take a taxi than wait another hour.
Καλύτερα να ακυρώσουμε τη συνάντηση παρά να έρθουν όλοι άδικα.
kalítera na akirósume ti sinándisi pará na érthun óli ádhika
It is better to cancel the meeting than have everyone come for nothing.
Διάλεξε να παραδεχτεί το λάθος του παρά να κατηγορήσει έναν συνάδελφο.
dhiálekse na paradhechtí to láthos tu pará na katighorísi énan sinádhelfo
He chose to admit his mistake rather than blame a colleague.
The να is required before the dependent verb of the rejected alternative. In να περιμένω άλλη μία ώρα, the duration delimits the situation, but it does not mechanically select or change morphological aspect; viewpoint and contextual boundedness are distinct. Negation inside either να-clause takes μη(ν) under Greek's normal particle pattern.
Not every “like” clause is a degree comparison
Όπως introduces correspondence with a real manner or model; σαν να introduces apparent resemblance. They compare ways or situations rather than locating something on a greater/lesser scale, so their syntax belongs to όπως and σαν.
Common Mistakes
1. Writing complementizer ότι after a comparative.
❌ Η δουλειά πήρε περισσότερο χρόνο από ότι περιμέναμε.
Incorrect—the clausal comparison requires free-relative ό,τι with its comma.
✅ Η δουλειά πήρε περισσότερο χρόνο από ό,τι περιμέναμε.
i dhuliá píre perisótero chróno apó óti periméname
The job took longer than we expected. (The elided απ' ό,τι is equally standard.)
2. Using indicative δεν inside the παρά να-clause.
Negation inside the dependent alternative takes μη(ν); write inline ×να δεν, not that particle sequence.
✅ Προτιμώ να μαγειρέψω παρά να μη φάω τίποτα.
protimó na mayirépso pará na mi fáo típota
I'd rather cook than eat nothing.
3. Using a plural verb for a singular benchmark subject.
❌ Το δωμάτιο δεν είναι τόσο φωτεινό όσο φαίνονται το δωμάτιο στις φωτογραφίες.
Incorrect—the explicit singular subject το δωμάτιο requires singular φαίνεται.
✅ Το δωμάτιο δεν είναι τόσο φωτεινό όσο φαίνεται στις φωτογραφίες.
to dhomátio dhen íne tóso fotinó óso fénete stis fotoghrafíes
The room is not as bright as it looks in the photographs.
Key Takeaways
- A noun standard takes από + accusative; a finite comparison standard takes από ό,τι / απ' ό,τι + clause.
- Comparative clauses routinely omit a repeated subject, predicate, or degree that context reconstructs.
- τόσο…όσο expresses equality; a lone clausal όσο can measure duration or amount.
- παρά να introduces an alternative action that the speaker rejects in favor of another.
Related Topics
- Case in ComparisonsB1 — How to say 'than' in Greek and what case follows — everyday από + accusative with a nominal standard, the learned genitive of comparison (ψηλότερος του αδερφού του) in formal writing, απ' ό,τι before a clause, and the narrow job that παρά still does.
- Comparison: όπως and σανB1 — Use όπως for correspondence with a manner or model, σαν for resemblance, and σαν να or λες και when something merely appears to be true.
- Correlative ConstructionsC1 — Build balanced two-part Greek structures for proportion, result, distribution, and free-relative correspondence.