Question 1

How do I make a comparative adjective like "sweeter" in Farsi?

Accepted Answer

You simply add the suffix -تر (-tar) to the end of the adjective. It works just like adding "-er" in English! Here, شیرین (shirin) means "sweet", so adding -تر makes it شیرین‌تر (shirin-tar), meaning "sweeter".

Question 2

Wait, doesn't از (az) mean "from"? Why is it used in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

You have a great memory! از (az) normally translates to "from". However, in Farsi comparisons, it acts as the word "than". So while از آن میوه (az aan miveh) literally translates to "from that fruit", in this context it means "than that fruit".

Question 3

What is the standard word order for making comparisons?

Accepted Answer

Because Farsi puts the verb at the very end of the sentence, a comparison follows this pattern: [Thing 1] + از (than) + [Thing 2] + [Adjective + تر] + [Verb]. You can see that exactly here: [این سیب] + [از] + [آن میوه] + [شیرین‌تر] + [است].

Question 4

Do the pointing words این (in, this) and آن (aan, that) ever change their form?

Accepted Answer

No, they don't! Farsi does not have grammatical gender, so you never have to worry about matching masculine or feminine forms. Words like این and آن always stay exactly the same, no matter what noun follows them.

Question 5

Why does the word شیرین‌تر (shirin-tar) look like it has a tiny space in the middle?

Accepted Answer

That is a typing feature called a "half-space". Even though the suffix -تر is part of the word, writers often use a half-space so the Farsi letters don't physically stick together, making the word much easier to read. You might sometimes see it typed fully attached as شیرینتر, but they are pronounced exactly the same.

این سیب از آن میوه شیرین‌تر است.

Breakdown of این سیب از آن میوه شیرین‌تر است.

Questions & Answers about این سیب از آن میوه شیرین‌تر است.

Learn این سیب از آن میوه شیرین‌تر است and more in Farsi