Comparative and Superlative Adjectives: Meanings and Usage | Hungarian Grammar

Hungarian comparatives do more than rank two visible objects. The productive architecture is introduced on the comparison forms page: forms in -bb can compare prices, abilities, plans, likelihoods, and one situation at different times; leg- selects an extreme within a relevant set; and legesleg- heightens that claim expressively. Natural usage depends on what counts as the standard and whether the adjective modifies a noun or forms a predicate.

Comparing two concrete alternatives

The most direct use presents one item as having more of a quality than another. The comparative can be predicative—Ez olcsóbb “This is cheaper”—or attributive—egy olcsóbb jegy “a cheaper ticket.” A simple comparison standard can take adessive -nál/-nél or follow mint.

A kék kabát melegebb a feketénél, de a fekete elegánsabb.

The blue coat is warmer than the black one, but the black one is more elegant.

Ez a lakás világosabb, mint az előző, és közelebb van a metróhoz.

This apartment is brighter than the previous one and is closer to the metro.

The substantivized adjectives a feketénél and az előző stand for understood nouns. -nél attaches to “the black one”; no Hungarian word corresponding to English one is necessary. Közelebb is the conventional comparative associated with közel “near.”

With plural subjects, a predicative comparative becomes plural, while an attributive one remains unchanged:

Olcsóbb székeket választottunk, de ezek kevésbé kényelmesek.

We chose cheaper chairs, but these are less comfortable.

Olcsóbb stays unchanged before plural accusative székeket. Predicative kényelmesek agrees with plural ezek; kevésbé “less” modifies the basic adjective and provides a productive way to express a lower degree.

💡

Do not add plural -ak/-ek merely because the English noun is plural. Add it only when the comparative itself is predicative or replaces the noun: olcsóbb székek, but A székek olcsóbbak and az olcsóbbak.

Comparing a situation with an expectation

The standard need not be a noun. Mint can introduce a finite clause, allowing speakers to compare reality with an expectation, memory, promise, or previous state.

A javítás tovább tartott, mint ígérték.

The repair took longer than they promised.

A vizsga könnyebb volt, mint amire számítottam.

The exam was easier than I expected.

Use mint here; a bare -nál/-nél suffix cannot introduce the verbs ígérték or számítottam. The subordinate clause may contain an appropriate case-marked relative form such as amire, reflecting the complement required by számít valamire “expect something.”

Comparing a thing with its earlier version is also common:

Az alkalmazás az utolsó frissítés óta gyorsabb és stabilabb.

The app has been faster and more stable since the last update.

No overt than before is needed because the time phrase supplies the baseline. Like English better now, a Hungarian comparative can leave the standard implicit when discourse makes it recoverable.

Choosing between -nál/-nél and mint

For a compact noun or pronoun standard, -nál/-nél is concise and idiomatic: Péter magasabb nálam, a vonat gyorsabb a busznál. The mint construction is equally normal with noun phrases and necessary when the standard expands into a clause.

A vonat gyorsabb a busznál, de sokkal drágább, mint amire számítottunk.

The train is faster than the bus, but much more expensive than we expected.

The two standards serve different shapes in the same sentence. Neither construction is inherently more formal. -Nál/-nél is particularly compact; mint can make parallel terms or an entire proposition explicit.

Personal pronouns have fused adessive forms: nálam, nálad, nála, nálunk, nálatok, náluk. Do not attach -nál mechanically to nominative én or te.

Az unokatestvérem fiatalabb nálam, mégis türelmesebb, mint én.

My cousin is younger than I am, yet more patient than I am.

Both standards are grammatical. Mint én is understood with an omitted repeated predicate; Hungarian does not require a form equivalent to English colloquial than me here.

Expressing the size of a difference

Degree words specify whether a difference is large, small, increasing, or unexpectedly strong. The most useful are sokkal “much,” jóval “considerably,” valamivel “somewhat,” egy kicsit “a little,” and még “even/still.”

Ez a megoldás jóval egyszerűbb, és csak egy kicsit drágább.

This solution is considerably simpler and only a little more expensive.

A második évad még izgalmasabb lett az elsőnél.

The second season became even more exciting than the first.

Ordinary nagyon modifies a basic adjective: nagyon jó “very good.” It is not the neutral Hungarian counterpart of English much before a comparative; use sokkal jobb, not nagyon jobb. Egyre + comparative presents continuing change:

A lakások egyre drágábbak, ezért sokan távolabb keresnek otthont.

Apartments are getting more and more expensive, so many people look for a home farther away.

The plural predicate drágábbak agrees with lakások. Távolabb is an adverbial comparative meaning “farther away.”

Selecting the highest degree

The superlative with leg- identifies an extreme within an understood or stated comparison set. It normally occurs in a definite phrase: a legjobb étterem, a legérdekesebb könyvek, az egyik legfontosabb kérdés.

Ez volt a legjobb étterem, amelyet az utazás alatt kipróbáltunk.

This was the best restaurant we tried during the trip.

Anna az egyik legtapasztaltabb kolléga a csapatban.

Anna is one of the most experienced colleagues on the team.

Az egyik leg-... means “one of the most ...” and keeps the following noun singular: literally one member of the extreme group. A set phrase such as a csapatban “in the team” names the domain. Without a contextually available domain, “the best” may sound incomplete because best among what?

Predicative superlatives show ordinary number agreement:

Ezek a feladatok a legnehezebbek az egész vizsgán.

These tasks are the hardest on the entire exam.

Attributive legnehezebb would remain unchanged before a plural noun: a legnehezebb feladatok. Predicative a legnehezebbek takes plural -ek and includes the definite article.

💡

Use az egyik legjobb + singular noun for “one of the best”: az egyik legjobb film. Hungarian does not copy English plural one of the best films inside this noun phrase.

Strong emphasis with legesleg-

Legesleg- strengthens a superlative: legeslegjobb “the very best,” legeslegfontosabb “the absolutely most important.” It is understood across registers, but it is expressive and especially common in enthusiastic conversation, advertising, and child-directed language. It can sound promotional in a restrained (formal) report.

Ezt a rajzot a legeslegjobb barátomnak készítettem.

I made this drawing for my very best friend.

In formal analysis, egyértelműen a legjobb “clearly the best” or messze a leghatékonyabb “by far the most efficient” usually states the intended evidence more precisely.

Abstract ranking, priorities, and choices

Comparatives often express importance or suitability rather than physical measurement. Fontosabb can rank priorities; megfelelőbb compares suitability; valószínűbb compares likelihood.

Most fontosabb a pontosság, mint a gyorsaság.

Right now accuracy is more important than speed.

A fokozatos átállás megfelelőbb lenne a kisebb cégek számára.

A gradual transition would be more suitable for smaller companies.

Some adjectives describe categories rather than scales. In inkább politikai, mint gazdasági “more political than economic,” inkább ... mint ... means “rather/more X than Y” and compares classification, not measurable degrees. Forcing politikaibb may create a marked, context-specific meaning rather than the neutral classification intended.

Dialogue and register

This exchange is (informal):

— Melyik gép jobb? — A kisebb olcsóbb, de a nagyobb sokkal gyorsabb.

— Which machine is better? — The smaller one is cheaper, but the larger one is much faster.

The missing noun is recovered in substantivized a kisebb and a nagyobb. A (formal) recommendation might express the same decision with denser vocabulary:

A nagyobb teljesítményű modell hosszú távon költséghatékonyabb választás.

The higher-performance model is a more cost-effective choice in the long term.

Formal register does not require a different comparative construction. It favors explicit criteria and measured modifiers; casual speech more readily relies on context and evaluative jobb.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ez a terv nagyon jobb.

Incorrect — nagyon normally modifies a basic adjective, not a comparative difference.

✅ Ez a terv sokkal jobb.

This plan is much better.

❌ Ez a fotel több kényelmes.

Incorrect — English more + adjective cannot be copied for degree comparison.

✅ Ez a fotel kényelmesebb.

This armchair is more comfortable.

❌ a legjobbak ajánlatok

Incorrect — a superlative remains invariant before an overt plural noun.

✅ a legjobb ajánlatok

the best offers

❌ A feladat nehezebb volt, nál az első.

Incorrect — -nál/-nél is a suffix attached to a nominal comparison standard, not a separate word.

✅ A feladat nehezebb volt az elsőnél.

The task was harder than the first one.

Key Takeaways

A comparative can have an explicit noun standard or an implicit baseline supplied by context.
Use -nál/-nél for compact nominal standards; use mint for nouns or full clauses.
Express difference with sokkal, jóval, valamivel, egy kicsit, or még, not ordinary nagyon + comparative.
Leg- selects an extreme within a set; legesleg- adds expressive emphasis.
Comparative and superlative adjectives stay invariant before nouns but take plural marking as predicates.

Now practice Hungarian

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Hungarian →