Breakdown of Ten budynek jest o wiele wyższy.
być
to be
ten
this (m)
budynek
building
wiele
many, much (+ Genitive)
o
by (margin of difference)
wyższy
taller
Questions & Answers about Ten budynek jest o wiele wyższy.
Why do we say o wiele here instead of just bardzo to mean "much"?
In Polish, you cannot use bardzo (very) directly with a comparative adjective like wyższy (taller). Instead, you state the margin of difference using the preposition o plus the Accusative case. O wiele literally translates to "by a lot", which is how Polish expresses "much" before a comparative.
Can I change the word order to "jest wyższy o wiele"?
Yes, that is grammatically correct. However, putting o wiele right before the comparative adjective (o wiele wyższy) is the most natural and common word order, mirroring the English "much taller". Putting it after might sound like you are adding the margin of difference as an afterthought.
If o wiele means "by a lot", how would I say the building is "a little bit" taller?
You would use o trochę or o nieco. They follow the exact same rule: using the preposition o to show the margin of difference. For example, you would say Ten budynek jest o trochę wyższy (This building is a little bit taller).
Just as a refresher, why don't we use bardziej to turn "tall" into "taller"?
The base adjective is wysoki (tall). Because it is a common, native Polish adjective, it has its own single-word comparative form: wyższy. You generally only use bardziej (more) for adjectives that lack a single-word comparative, which are typically longer words or foreign borrowings, like bardziej interesujący (more interesting).
Learn Ten budynek jest o wiele wyższy and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free