Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparatives [~보다]

~보다 is used to compare two persons or things. The person/thing that 보다 is referring to is the one that comes after "~er than" in English. The "~보다" phrase can also come before a subject. So the sentences below have the same meaning.

Note: 이/가 particles are more frequently used than 은/는 particles, and in the spoken Korean, almost exclusively 이/가 are used. 

• 나는 동생보다 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 내가 동생보다 키가 크다 = "I" am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 동생보다 내가 키가 크다 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling.
• 동생보다 내가 키가 커 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [spoken form]
• 동생보다 제가 키가 커요 = I am taller than (my) younger sibling. [formal spoken form]

동생보다 = than younger sibling
동생 = younger sibling
키 = height
크다 = big
키가 크다 = tall
키가 작다 = short
나 = I
내 = 나 changes to 내 before 이/가
제 = the honorific form of 내 used in formal expressions

더 is usually added before an adjective. 더 = more

More examples

• 동물보다 사람이 더 똑똑하다 = Man is cleverer than an animal.
• 나일강이 아마존강보다 더 길다 = The Nile River is longer than the Amazon River.
• 철이 구리보다 강하다 = Iron is stronger than copper.
• 피는 물보다 진하다 = Blood is thicker than water.

• 진수가 진호보다 더 빨라요 = Jinsu is faster than Jinho.
  
• 저보다 형이 더 잘해요 = My older brother does it better than me.
• 빵보다 밥이 더 좋아요 = I like rice more than bread.

Superlatives [제일]

제일 is added before an adjective to make it a superlative.

• 진수가 제일 빠르다 = Jinsu is the fastest
• 치타가 육지 동물중에서 제일 빠르다 = The cheetah is the fastest among the land animals.
• 에베레스트산은 세계에서 제일 높다 = Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
  
• 피자가 세계에서 제일 맛있는 음식이다 = Pizza is the most delicious food in the world.
• 제일 아름다운 것은 사랑이에요 = The most beautiful thing is love. [formal spoken form] (Nouns - Present, Past)

세계 = world
맛있다 = delicious
맛있는 = delicious [descriptive form] Adjectives - Descriptive
아름다운 = beautiful [descriptive form]
것 = thing

Learn Korean Language - 015

Learn Korean Language: Let's Speak Korean - 015

• 불고기 먹으러 갑시다 = Let's go eat Bulgogi (the marinated beef).
  
• 불고기 먹으러 가요. = Let's go eat Bulgogi (the marinated beef).
• 미안해요. 저는 고기를 못 먹어요. = Sorry. I cannot eat meat.

In the first sentence, we use 갑시다 which means "let's go" and 먹으러 갑시다 which means "let's go eat". However, I'd say 갑시다 is rather musculine in tone, rather confirmative and forceful and used usually by adults whereas 가요 is a polite form used by anyone who is talking to older people or anyone in any formal situations.

For example,

• the boss of a company could say, 점심 먹으러 갑시다 to all his employee, "let's go eat lunch." 
• a child may say to his parents, 아빠, 저녁 먹으러 가요!, "let's go eat dinner! Daddy!"

못 is used often and is attached in front of a verb in the spoken form, 못 먹어요 means "I cannot eat"

Korean words:

• 못 가요 = can't go
• 못 해요 = can't do
  
• 못 먹어요 = can't eat
• 못 마셔요 = can't drink
• 못 써요 = can't write
• 못 들어요 = can't hear
• 못 봐요 = can't watch

안 is placed in front of a verb in the spoken form, 안 먹어요 means "I don't eat"

• 안 가요 = don't go
• 안 해요 = don't do
  
• 안 먹어요 = don't eat
• 안 마셔요 = don't drink
• 안 써요 = don't write
• 안 들어요 = don't hear
• 안 봐요 = don't watch

맥주 한잔 하러 갑시다 = Let's go have a beer (Idiom. Lit. Let's do one glass of beer)
저는 맥주를 못 마셔요 = I can't drink beer
네, 좋아요 = Yes, I'd like to.

Give the favour of ~ - ~주다

Give the favour of ~ - ~주다

This is an important lesson because ~주다 is very frequently used in ordinary conversations. First of all, 주다 means "give" and when we attach the spoken form of a verb in front of 주다, it means someone "gives the favour of doing something for someone". For example, 도와 주다 means "give the favour of helping to somebody" which essentially means "I help someone".

• 민희는 엄마를 도와 주었다 = Min-hee gave the favour of helping to Mom. (Min-hee helped Mom)
  

In the sentence above, Min-hee helped her Mom and this helping has been done to her and for her. The concept of giving is profound in the Korean language. In many occasions where somebody does something for somebody or to somebody, the sentences invariably includes ~주다.

● Rule

Attach the spoken form of verbs in front of 주다.

• 해 주다 = give the favour of doing
  
• 가 주다 = give the favour of going
• 와 주다 = give the favour of coming
• 먹어 주다 = give the favour of eating
• 마셔 주다 = give the favour of drinking
• 읽어 주다 = give the favour of reading
  
• 써 주다 = give the favour of writing
• 봐 주다 = give the favour of seeing
• 들어 주다 = give the favour of listening
• 사 주다 = give the favour of buying
• 팔아 주다 = give the favour of selling
• 가르쳐 주다 = give the favour of teaching
  
• 도와 주다 = give the favour of helping

Sentences

• 영호는 시내까지 같이 가 주었다 = Young-ho gave (me) the favour of going to town together (Young-ho went to town with me.)

시내 = town
같이 = together

• 엘리엇은 우리 집에 와 주었다 = Elliot gave (us) the favour of coming to our home. (Elliot came to our house.) 

우리 = we
집 = house

• 나는 동생의 밥을 먹어 주었다 = I gave my little brother/sister the favour of eating his/her meal. (I ate my little brother's/sister's meal for them.)

동생 = little sibling (gender neutral)
밥 = meal, rice

• 파이퍼교수님은 우리에게 존 칼빈의 신학을 가르쳐 주었다 = Professor Piper gave the favour of teaching John Calvin's theology to us. (Professor Piper taught us John Calvin's theology.)

교수 = professor
님 = honorary suffix (usually attached to the name of professions which involve teaching)
   For eg. 선생님 = teacher, 목사님 = pastor, 교수님 = professor
신학 = theology

• 나에게 편지를 읽어 줬다 = (someone) gave the favour of reading a letter to me. [(someone) read a letter to me (for me)]

편지 = letter
에게 = Particles - 께/에게/한테
줬다 = the contracted form of 주었다

• 피터는 내 노래를 들어 줬어 = Peter gave the favour of listening to my song. [Peter listened to my song for me.]

노래 = song
줬어 = the contracted form of 주었어 (which is the spoken form of 주었다)

• 어떤 아저씨가 도와 줬어요 = Some middle-aged man gave the favour of helping to me (Some middle-aged man helped me.)

어떤 ~ = some ~ (random, passer-by)
아저씨 = middle-aged man (a general term for every married men or men aged between approx. 27~55. On a side note, some men who are actually young get offended if some children call him 아저씨 because that means that young man looks older than he actually is.)
어떤 아줌마 = some middle-aged woman
아줌마 = a middle-aged woman (a general term for every married women or women aged between approx. 27~55. Again, almost all women who are actually young get offended or even hurt if some people call her 아줌마 because that means that young lady looks old. Let us have some discernment.)
어떤 아이 = some child