Lesson 39 :The Comparative and superlative in Turkish

In this lesson we will focus on the comparative and superlative degrees in Turkish.
Let's start with the comparative and its degrees (to a higher degree, to a lower degree and to the same degree).
As everybody knows the comparative estabilish a comparison between two or among different items or objects.
In Turkish the comparatives to higher degree and to some extent also the one to lower degree are obtained by using the ablative suffixes  -den  -dan   -ten  -tan (with the meaning of "than") plus the adverb "daha" equivalent to"more " or "-er" which precedes or introduces if you will, the first term of comparison.
Let's better explain with a few examples:

COMPARATIVE TO A HIGHER DEGREE

Ali is older than me : Ali benden daha yaşlı(dır).
She is cleverer than you: O sizden daha akıllı(dır)
My car is faster than yours: Arabam seninkininden daha hızlı(dır).
The red pencil is thicker than the the black one: Kırmızı kalem siyah kalemden daha iri(dir).

COMPARATIVE TO A LOWER DEGREE

In this case the pattern is the same if we use adjectives rendering the meaning of lower degree in comparison to the first term.
Otherwise we use the adverb "az" instead of "daha"
Examples:
Italy is less big than Turkey: Italya Türkiyeden daha küçük(tür)
Silver is lighter than gold: Gümüş altından az ağırdır.
Both patterns may be used to form this comparative.It basically depends on the comparison terms and which meaning we want to give the sentence.

COMPARATIVE TO THE SAME DEGREE

This comparative is obtained by placing the adverbe "kadar" or "gibi" before the adjective.
In english this structure corresponds to "as.......as"
Examples:
Rose is as nice as orchid: Gül orkid kadar (or gibi) güzel(dir).
You are not as educated as my sister: Siz kız kardeşim kadar okumuş değilsiniz.

SUPERLATIVE

In Turkish there are two degrees o superlative:

1)Aşırılık derecesi

In this superlative there is no comparison between terms. It is introduced by one of the following adverbs : Çok - Pek - Gayet, and others that correspond at the english " very"
A few examples:
Size çok minnettarim: I am very grateful to you
Bu heykel pek güzeldir: This statue is very nice
Selma gayet naziktir: Selma is very pretty.

2) Nispi üstünlük derecesi

This superlative expresses a comparison between two specific objects. It is introduced by the adverbe "en" which is the equivalent of " the most" or " -est" in English.

A few examples:

Paris en çok beğenilen şehirdir: Paris is the most loved city.
Rolex saatların markasından en iyisi: Rolex is the best watch's brand