You already know how to use the suffixes -are and -ast to compare regular adjectives. For long or complex adjectives, Swedish uses mer (more) and mest (most) instead.
You must use mer and mest for adjectives that:
- End in -ad, -ande, or -ende (often derived from verbs)
- Are particularly long or borrowed from other languages (like realistisk)
Comparing with "Mer"
To compare two things, place mer before the adjective and use än (than).
| The novel is more complicated than the film. | Romanen är mer komplicerad än filmen. |
| I had never read a more fascinating novel. | Jag hade aldrig läst en mer fascinerande roman. |
The adjective must still agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. In the next example, realistisk becomes realistiskt because it describes an ett word (slutet).
| The ending is more realistic than the plot. | Slutet är mer realistiskt än handlingen. |
Expressing Extremes with "Mest"
To express that something is "the most" of a certain quality, use mest before the adjective.
| Which plot is the most frightening? | Vilken handling är mest skrämmande? |
When identifying a specific characteristic as "the most [adjective] thing" without repeating the noun, you will often use the definite neuter article det (the) before the phrase.
| The ending was the most fascinating. | Slutet var det mest fascinerande. |
| The plot was the most surprising thing that had happened. | Handlingen var det mest överraskande som hade hänt. |
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