Comparatives with Vowel Changes
You already know that adding -er to an adjective makes it comparative. However, many short adjectives with the vowels a, o, or u also add an umlaut (ä, ö, ü) when taking the -er ending.
| Adjective | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| alt | älter | older |
| groß | größer | bigger |
| kalt | kälter | colder |
| kurz | kürzer | shorter |
| lang | länger | longer |
| warm | wärmer | warmer |
The adjective hoch (high) is slightly irregular. It takes an umlaut and drops its c: höher (higher).
Notice how als is used to say "than" in these comparisons:
| The sea is warmer here than in Germany. | Das Meer ist hier wärmer als in Deutschland. |
| The desert is much bigger than the island. | Die Wüste ist viel größer als die Insel. |
| The summer in the desert is longer than by the sea. | Der Sommer in der Wüste ist länger als am Meer. |
You can also use these comparatives without als if the second half of the comparison is understood from context:
| The lake was very cold, but the river was colder. | Der See war sehr kalt, aber der Fluss war kälter. |
| The way to the river is shorter. | Der Weg zum Fluss ist kürzer. |
And here is the irregular höher in use:
| The valley is beautiful, but the mountain is higher. | Das Tal ist schön, aber der Berg ist höher. |
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