Hungarian normally forms a comparative adjective with -bb, often preceded by a linking vowel or accompanied by a stem change: gyorsabb “faster,” szebb “more beautiful,” jobb “better.” The superlative adds leg- to that comparative: leggyorsabb, legszebb, legjobb. The comparison standard—English than X—appears either with -nál/-nél or after mint.
The three degrees
The comparative suffix remains part of the superlative. Hungarian does not replace it with a separate superlative suffix.
| Basic | Comparative | Superlative | Emphatic superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| gyors | gyorsabb | leggyorsabb | legesleggyorsabb |
| szép | szebb | legszebb | legeslegszebb |
| jó | jobb | legjobb | legeslegjobb |
| nagy | nagyobb | legnagyobb | legeslegnagyobb |
| kicsi | kisebb | legkisebb | legeslegkisebb |
Ez az útvonal gyorsabb, de nem ez a legbiztonságosabb.
This route is faster, but it is not the safest.
A legjobb ajánlatot tegnap kaptuk.
We received the best offer yesterday.
Legesleg- means “the very/all-out most” and is strongly emphatic. It is productive, but expressive rather than necessary: legeslegjobb “the very best.” In a neutral report, plain legjobb is usually sufficient.
When -bb attaches directly and when a vowel appears
The underlying comparative marker is -bb, but surface forms fall into several patterns. Many consonant-final adjectives use a linking a/e: gyorsabb, okosabb, kedvesebb, érdekesebb. Others attach a vowel-initial-looking sequence because of established stem behavior: nagyobb, újabb. Vowel-final adjectives often take -bb directly, while final a/e lengthens: olcsóbb, egyszerűbb, drágább, feketébb.
| Pattern | Basic | Comparative |
|---|---|---|
| back-vowel linking form | gyors | gyorsabb |
| front-vowel linking form | kedves | kedvesebb |
| long vowel + -bb | olcsó | olcsóbb |
| final a lengthens | drága | drágább |
| final e lengthens | fekete | feketébb |
A fekete kabát drágább, mint a szürke.
The black coat is more expensive than the gray one.
Olyan megoldást keresünk, amely egyszerűbb és megbízhatóbb.
We are looking for a solution that is simpler and more reliable.
The doubled bb is genuine consonant length and must be written twice. Vowel harmony helps with linking vowels, but it does not predict every stem alternation. Learn high-frequency exceptional forms explicitly rather than forcing a single mechanical rule.
Essential irregular and stem-changing forms
Two brief-required forms are jó → jobb and nagy → nagyobb. Several other everyday adjectives also change their stem:
| Basic | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| jó | jobb | legjobb | good, better, best |
| nagy | nagyobb | legnagyobb | large, larger, largest |
| kicsi / kis | kisebb | legkisebb | small, smaller, smallest |
| sok | több | legtöbb | much/many, more, most |
| kevés | kevesebb | legkevesebb | little/few, less/fewer, least/fewest |
| szép | szebb | legszebb | beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful |
| nehéz | nehezebb | legnehezebb | difficult/heavy, more, most |
| könnyű | könnyebb | legkönnyebb | easy/light, easier/lighter, easiest/lightest |
| hosszú | hosszabb | leghosszabb | long, longer, longest |
A második feladat nehezebb volt az elsőnél.
The second task was more difficult than the first.
Ez a legkisebb doboz, mégis ez a legnehezebb.
This is the smallest box, yet it is the heaviest.
There is no honest shortcut that derives all of jobb, kisebb, több, szebb, könnyebb, and hosszabb from spelling alone. They are frequent enough to memorize as complete three-part families.
Two ways to say than
A noun or pronoun used as the comparison standard can take adessive -nál/-nél:
Dóra magasabb Péternél.
Dóra is taller than Péter.
Ez a hátizsák könnyebb az enyémnél.
This backpack is lighter than mine.
Personal pronouns use the inflected adessive series: nálam “than me,” nálad, nála, nálunk, nálatok, náluk. A second construction uses mint:
Dóra magasabb, mint Péter.
Dóra is taller than Péter.
A vizsga nehezebb volt, mint gondoltam.
The exam was harder than I thought.
With a full clause such as mint gondoltam, use mint; -nál/-nél cannot replace a conjunction introducing a finite verb. With simple nominal standards, both patterns are common. Standard spelling normally places a comma before comparative mint.
Degree modifiers
Place an intensifier before the comparative: sokkal jobb “much better,” jóval olcsóbb “considerably cheaper,” valamivel gyorsabb “somewhat faster,” egy kicsit nagyobb “a little bigger,” még érdekesebb “even more interesting.” Do not use ordinary nagyon as a direct equivalent of English much before a comparative.
Az új változat sokkal gyorsabb és valamivel egyszerűbb.
The new version is much faster and somewhat simpler.
A reggeli járat egy kicsit olcsóbb a délutáninál.
The morning service is a little cheaper than the afternoon one.
Egyre + comparative expresses progressive change: egyre jobb “better and better,” egyre drágább “increasingly expensive.” A lehető leg- means “as ... as possible”: a lehető leggyorsabb megoldás.
Attributive invariability and predicative plural
Comparative and superlative adjectives follow ordinary adjective agreement. They remain unchanged before plural nouns but take plural marking when predicative.
| Function | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| attributive comparative | gyorsabb vonat | gyorsabb vonatok |
| predicative comparative | A vonat gyorsabb. | A vonatok gyorsabbak. |
| attributive superlative | a leggyorsabb vonat | a leggyorsabb vonatok |
| predicative superlative | Ez a leggyorsabb. | Ezek a leggyorsabbak. |
A kisebb üzletek olcsóbbak, mint a belvárosi áruházak.
The smaller shops are cheaper than the downtown department stores.
Attributive kisebb does not agree with üzletek. Predicative olcsóbbak does. English adjectives never display this number contrast, so treat plural -ak/-ek as a signal of Hungarian predicate structure.
Segmentation exercise
Segment legesleggyorsabbak, olcsóbbaknál, and legjobbat. The answers are legesleg-gyors-abb-ak “the very fastest ones,” with predicate/substantive plural; olcsó-bb-ak-nál “than/at the cheaper ones,” with comparative, plural, and adessive; and leg-jobb-at “the best one” as an accusative object. Degree morphology comes before number and case.
Common Mistakes
❌ jóbb
Incorrect — the comparative of jó has an irregular stem.
✅ jobb
better
❌ Ez a könyv több érdekes.
Incorrect — English more + adjective is not copied into Hungarian degree comparison.
✅ Ez a könyv érdekesebb.
This book is more interesting.
❌ a nagyobbak házak
Incorrect — an attributive comparative remains uninflected before a plural noun.
✅ a nagyobb házak
the larger houses
❌ Dóra magasabb Péter.
Incorrect — the comparison standard needs -nál/-nél or mint.
✅ Dóra magasabb Péternél.
Dóra is taller than Péter.
Key Takeaways
- Comparative -bb may attach directly, follow a linking vowel, or accompany a stem change: olcsóbb, gyorsabb, szebb.
- Memorize the frequent families jó–jobb–legjobb and nagy–nagyobb–legnagyobb.
- Add leg- to the comparative for the superlative; legesleg- adds strong emphasis.
- Mark a nominal standard with -nál/-nél, or introduce it with mint; a full clause requires mint.
- Degree comes before agreement and case: gyorsabbak, olcsóbbaknál.
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