The Exception to the Rule
Just like in English (where "good" becomes "better" and "best"), Farsi has a few highly common adjectives that don't follow the normal rules. You will use these constantly when evaluating movies, sharing experiences, or writing critiques.
Good and Bad
The most common irregular forms belong to "good" (خوب). Instead of adding suffixes to the standard word, Farsi uses a different root entirely to form the comparative and superlative: بهتر (better) and بهترین (best).
The words for "worse" (بدتر) and "worst" (بدترین) follow the normal suffix rules, but they are crucial to memorize as a set alongside their positive counterparts.
| The young actor is the best. | بازیگر جوان بهترین است.bâzigar-e javân behtarin ast. |
| The quality of this film is worse. | کیفیت این فیلم بدتر است.keyfiyyat-e in film badtar ast. |
| That was my worst experience. | آن بدترین تجربهی من بود.ân badtarin tajrobe-ye man bud. |
Much and Little
When talking about quantities, scores, or the degree of an action, you will need the words for "more/most" and "less/least".
- بیشتر (more) and بیشترین (most)
- کمتر (less) and کمترین (least)
Remember the golden rule for superlatives: adjectives ending in ترین must be placed directly before the noun, without an Ezafe connector!
| This actor got the highest score. | این بازیگر بیشترین نمره را گرفت.in bâzigar bishtarin nomre râ gereft. |
| The new project has the lowest quality. | پروژهی جدید کمترین کیفیت را دارد.porozhe-ye jadid kamtarin keyfiyat râ dârad |
Using Comparatives as Adverbs
While superlatives sit right before a noun, comparatives like بیشتر and کمتر are incredibly versatile. You will often see them used as adverbs to describe how much an action was done. In this case, they sit close to the verb.
| I laughed more because the film was interesting. | من بیشتر خندیدم چون فیلم جالب بود.man bishtar khandidam chon film jâleb bud |
| His score was worse because he studied less. | نمرهی او بدتر بود چون کمتر درس خواند.nomre-ye u bad-tar bud chon kamtar dars khând. |
