Breakdown of Mój brat jest o pięć centymetrów wyższy niż ojciec.
być
to be
brat
brother
mój
my
ojciec
father
pięć
five
niż
than
o
by (margin of difference)
centymetr
centimeter
wyższy
taller
Questions & Answers about Mój brat jest o pięć centymetrów wyższy niż ojciec.
Why do we use o before pięć centymetrów?
In Polish, when you want to express the exact margin of difference in a comparison (like 'five centimeters taller' or 'two years older'), you use the preposition o followed by the Accusative case. It translates quite literally to 'taller by five centimeters'.
Why is it centymetrów instead of centymetry?
This is a good refresher on numbers: because of the number pięć (five). Even though the phrase o pięć is in the Accusative case, Polish grammar dictates that numbers five and above force the noun that follows into the Genitive plural. Therefore, centymetr becomes centymetrów.
Could I use od instead of niż to say 'than father'?
Yes, you could say wyższy od ojca. When you use niż, the second noun matches the case of the first one (here, both brat and ojciec are in the Nominative). If you use od, the second noun must take the Genitive case (ojca). Both structures are completely natural and mean the same thing.
How is wyższy (taller) formed from wysoki (tall)?
Adjectives ending in -oki or -eki usually drop those suffixes when forming the comparative. The remaining root then often undergoes a consonant change. For wysoki, the root wys- changes to wyż-, and we add the standard comparative ending -szy to get wyższy.
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