Adjectives Ending in -isk
Swedish features many adjectives ending in -isk, which often correspond to English words ending in "-ic" or "-ical" when discussing themes like art, literature, and humor.
| satirical | satirisk |
Comparing with Mer (More)
Normally, Swedish adjectives take the endings -are and -ast to form comparisons. However, adjectives ending in -isk are a strict exception. Because adding standard comparative endings to these words makes them awkward to pronounce, you must always use mer (more) instead of -are.
| The play is more satirical than the film. | Pjäsen är mer satirisk än filmen. |
| She is more sarcastic than her boss. | Hon är mer sarkastisk än sin chef. |
| The story is more tragic than comical. | Berättelsen är mer tragisk än komisk. |
Superlatives with Mest (Most)
To say "most," use mest instead of the -ast suffix.
When using a superlative with a definite noun (e.g., "the most comical part"), Swedish requires the standalone definite article (den or det), the word mest, and the standard definite -a ending on the adjective itself. For example, komisk becomes komiska and cynisk becomes cyniska.
| The satire was the most comical part of the book. | Satiren var den mest komiska delen av boken. |
| You are the most cynical person here. | Du är den mest cyniska människan här. |
| That was the most typical mistake. | Det var det mest typiska misstaget. |