comparatives of superiority

Discussion in 'Grammar & Pronunciation' started by Kikko, Oct 29, 2002.

  1. Kikko

    Kikko Well-Known Member

    Hi all [​IMG]

    Im into comparatives of superiority.
    I see 3 different suffixes which can be added to the adjective: -ejsi, -si and -ci. (mlady >> mladsi - novy >> novejsi - hezky >> hezci)

    I think those ending with a -ky become -ci, but how do I know when to add ejsi or si?

    Thanx guys [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  2. Kikko

    Kikko Well-Known Member

    by the way...
    about superlative...

    1) How do I now if an adjective wants the suffix pra/pre (drahy -> predrahy)
    or the adverb moc/velmi (tezky -> moc tezky)?

    2) Is the superlative (always) correct if i use the adverb moc instead of pre/pra? (moc drahy)

    3) On the contrary (just like in many other languages), adding the suffix pra/pre is not always possible/correct, right?

    If that's true then pretezky isnt correct, while moc drahy is, even if is better to use predrahy... [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Well hope someone shows me the right way bout it

    Thanx [​IMG]

    [This message has been edited by Kikko (edited October 30, 2002).]
     
  3. Kikko

    Kikko Well-Known Member

    None knows? [​IMG]

    [This message has been edited by Kikko (edited November 07, 2002).]
     
  4. garyf

    garyf New Member

    Kikko, you could write to Radio Prague at cr@radio.cz. They are very courteous and should be able to help with your question.
     
  5. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    Hi Kikko,

    Your superlative questions are a little daunting and I was hoping someone else would shed some light on the topic... [​IMG] Anyway, since enough time has passed, I'll try to address at least some of them.

    As far as when to use the endings -ejsi, -si and -ci, I'm not sure what the rule is without having a grammar book handy.

    "moc"/"velmi" versus "pra-"/"pre-"

    It is always safe to use the adverb "moc", "velmi", "velice" with an adjective.
    The prefixes "pra-" and "pre-" are used much less frequently in colloquial conversations and often tend to be a little bookish and old-fashioned, or at least formal. Plus, as you mentioned, it is not always possible to add one of these prefixes to an adjective.

    By the way, neither the adverb "moc"/"velmi", nor the prefixes "pra-"/"pre-" turn the adjective into an actual superlative. They don't mean "the most ...", but simply "very ..."/"extremely ...". E.g. "prastary" means "very old", "ancient", but not "the oldest". "Pretezky" means "very/extremely hard", but not "the hardest".

    "Pretezky" is correct (used in formal speech or writing), as is "moc/velmi/velice drahy" (commonly used in normal speech). "Predrahy" sounds strange and I'm not even sure if it's a real word (I've been thinking about superlatives too hard [​IMG]). You can say "predrazeny" (this actually is a commonly used word), which has a slightly different meaning and means literally "priced too high", not just "very expensive". E.g. "V tom obchode je vsechno predrazene" means "Everything in that store is priced way too high".

    I hope my explanation didn't make things even more confusing!
     
  6. Anke

    Anke Well-Known Member

    Since nobody seems to know, I've lokked it up for you. About comparatives my grammar book says:

    - sí: is added to adjectives whose stem ends in -t,-d,-b,-r,-h,-ch, -ok/-ek; for example stary (star-y)-> starsí, drahy - drazsí (h or ch often changes for z or s - both with hacek)

    - ejsí: stem ending in -l,-s,-z,-h (depends on word),-r; for example teply - teplejsí

    - ejsí (with hacek on e: stem ending in -t,-n,-p,-v; for example novy - novejsí

    -í: most adjectives with -ky ending, when consonants change from k to c (with hacek); for example melky - melcí

    Hope that helps although the rules are amigious (some consonants appear double and so on). The best way to learn this is from context - you will meet the words in many books and can learn their usage.
     
  7. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    Thank you Anke! Obviously, being a native speaker is not always enough!
     
  8. Kikko

    Kikko Well-Known Member

    Thanx my Czech Angels [​IMG]
    I know my questions go pretty deep into czech grammar but well, since grammar is the base of a language I MUST learn it chte-nechte [​IMG]

    Thanx for your answers, they really helped me out since I only have a very small "book" (few pages) about czech which uses to list the suffixes witout any explaination [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Surely these answers will also help anyone who wanna learn czech as I do [​IMG]

    [This message has been edited by Kikko (edited November 07, 2002).]
     

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