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Questions & Answers about Diese Aufgabe ist nicht so schwer wie gestern.
What does the structure so … wie mean here?
It’s the standard way to say “as … as” in German. So so schwer wie means “as difficult as.” With the negation, nicht so schwer wie = “not as difficult as.”
Why is the negation placed as nicht so schwer wie and not somewhere else?
In German, nicht usually comes right before the phrase it negates. Here, it negates the whole adjective comparison phrase so schwer wie, so you get nicht so schwer wie.
Can I say nicht so schwer als gestern?
No. With equality comparisons, German uses wie, not als.
- Correct: nicht so schwer wie gestern
- Incorrect: nicht so schwer als gestern
Use als only with comparative forms like schwerer als (“harder than”).
Is nicht so schwer wie basically the same as weniger schwer als?
Yes, both mean “less difficult than,” though the phrasing differs:
- nicht so schwer wie is the default “not as … as” structure.
- weniger schwer als emphasizes that the degree is lower and uses als with a comparative idea. Both are idiomatic; choose based on style and flow.