Breakdown of Nowy pociąg jest szybszy niż stary autobus.
być
to be
nowy
new
stary
old
pociąg
train
autobus
bus
niż
than
szybki
fast
Questions & Answers about Nowy pociąg jest szybszy niż stary autobus.
How do we get szybszy (faster) from the basic word for "fast"?
The basic adjective for "fast" is szybki. When an adjective ends in -ki, we usually drop that ending before adding the comparative suffix. For a masculine noun like pociąg, we add -szy, making it szybszy.
Does szybszy change if I'm comparing feminine or neuter things?
Yes! Even in the comparative form, the adjective must match the gender of the noun it describes. Because pociąg (train) is masculine, we use szybszy. If we were describing a feminine noun it would be szybsza, and for a neuter noun it would be szybsze.
Why do we use niż for "than" here, and what case follows it?
niż is a very common way to say "than" in Polish. The great thing about niż is that the noun after it stays in the Nominative case (the basic dictionary form). That's why stary autobus doesn't change its endings. You could also use od for "than", but that requires using the Genitive case (od starego autobusu).
Are both pociąg and autobus masculine nouns?
Yes, both end in consonants, which is the standard rule for masculine inanimate nouns in Polish. Because they are masculine, the adjectives describing them (nowy, szybszy, stary) all use the standard masculine endings.
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