Stóllinn er lægri en borðið.

The chair is lower than the table.

Breakdown of Stóllinn er lægri en borðið.

• vera: to be
• borðið: the table
• stóllinn: the chair (subject)
• en: than

Questions & Answers about Stóllinn er lægri en borðið.

Why is it en here and not sem or og?

Use en after a comparative adjective (the -ri form) to mean “than.”

• Comparative: Stóllinn er lægri en borðið.
• Equality uses jafn … og/sem: Stóllinn er jafn lágur og/sem borðið (“as low as”).
• Preference uses words like frekar en / fremur en (“rather than”) and contrast uses en = “but”: Hann er lágur, en hún er há.

Why is the adjective lægri and not lágur or lágt?

Because it’s a comparison. The base adjective is lágur (“low”), but the comparative is lægri (“lower”). It must agree with the subject:

• Masculine subject: Stóllinn er lægri…
• Neuter subject: Borðið er lægra…
  lágt is the neuter positive form (“low”), not the comparative.

Could I say Borðið er lægra en stóllinn instead?

Yes. That’s correct and shows agreement with the subject:

• Borðið (neuter) → lægra
• Stóllinn (masculine) → lægri
  The adjective agrees with the subject before the verb, not with the noun after en.

How is lægra/lægri formed from lágur? Is it irregular?