Breakdown of Sie ist mündlich besser als schriftlich.
sein
to be
gut
good / well
als
than
mündlich
oral, spoken
schriftlich
written, in writing
Questions & Answers about Sie ist mündlich besser als schriftlich.
Where do the words mündlich and schriftlich come from?
They are formed by adding the suffix -lich to the nouns der Mund (the mouth) and die Schrift (the script or writing). This suffix is commonly used to turn nouns into adjectives or adverbs, similar to the English suffix -ly.
Why does this sentence use als instead of wie for the word than?
In German, you always use als when comparing two things that are unequal, usually alongside a comparative word like besser (better). You only use wie when comparing things that are on the same level, such as in the phrase so gut wie (as good as).
Could I say gesprochen and geschrieben instead of mündlich and schriftlich?
It would sound unnatural here. While gesprochen (spoken) and geschrieben (written) describe the literal result of an action, mündlich and schriftlich are the standard terms for formats of communication, like tests, agreements, or general language skills. For example, a written exam is a schriftliche Prüfung.
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