Breakdown of Ten plecak był wczoraj znacznie lżejszy od walizki!
być
to be
ten
this (m)
plecak
backpack
walizka
suitcase
wczoraj
yesterday
od
from
znacznie
significantly
lekki
light
Questions & Answers about Ten plecak był wczoraj znacznie lżejszy od walizki!
Why is 'than the suitcase' translated as od walizki?
In Polish, one of the main ways to compare two things is to use the preposition od (which usually means 'from') followed by the Genitive case. The basic word for suitcase is walizka, and its Genitive form is walizki. So, lżejszy od walizki literally means 'lighter from the suitcase'.
Could I use niż to say 'than' in this sentence instead?
Yes! You can also use the word niż (than). However, unlike od, niż does not force the next word into the Genitive case. It just copies the case of the first thing you are comparing. Since ten plecak is in the Nominative (dictionary) case, the suitcase would also stay in the Nominative: Ten plecak był znacznie lżejszy niż walizka. Both methods are correct and very common.
Why use znacznie for 'much' instead of a word like bardzo?
Znacznie means 'significantly' or 'considerably', and it is a great word for emphasizing a comparison. You could also use dużo (a lot/much) here: dużo lżejszy. However, you cannot use bardzo (very) with a comparative adjective. Just like in English you wouldn't say 'very lighter', in Polish you cannot say bardzo lżejszy.
Wait, what is the base dictionary form of lżejszy (lighter)?
The basic adjective is lekki (light). Forming its comparative version is a bit irregular! The -ki ending drops off, and the root changes from lek- to lżej-. Because plecak is a masculine noun, we add the masculine comparative ending -szy to get lżejszy.
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