Lebih + adjective + daripada

“Lebih” means more, over.

“lebih murah daripada hotel-hotel lainnya” – “cheaper than other hotels”. This phrase shows the way to compare adjectives in Indonesian. Another example is “Rumah saya lebih jauh dari stasiun kereta api daripada rumah Ibu saya”—“My house is farther from train statiun than my mother’s.”

(Note that the first “dari”means “from” in the example, while the second “daripada” corresponds to English “than”).

Examples:

Hotel itu lebih dekat ke stasiun kareta api daripada ke Bandar udara.

That hotel is closer to the train station than to the airport.

Lebih can be preceded by the word jauh (far) to emphasize a comparison.

Examples:

Buah ini jauh lebih mahal daripada buah itu.

These fruits are far more expensive than those fruits.

Kurang

1. “Kurang “means less, lacking, insufficient or not enough.

In bargaining, the phrase “boleh kurang?” means “could you lower the price?”

However, “saya kurang mengerti” means “I don’t understand” which also means “saya tidak mengerti”.

Examples:

Nasi goreng ini  ini kurang pedas.	This friend rice is not hot spicy enough.
Barbeque itu kurang enak.	That barbeque is not delicious (enough).

2. Kurang-lebih means more or less. People use “kurang-lebih” or “kira-kira” to tell an approximate number or quantity.

Se + adjective

The English comparison with “as+ adjective +as” or “the same as + adjective” is expressed either by  “se + adjective ” or “sama + adjective (nya) dengan ….” in Indonesian. When sama is used, the adjective must be followed by dengan (with) or by –nya and then followed by dengan (with).

Examples:

Sepatu saya semahal sepatu adik perempua saya. Sepatu saya sama mahal (nya) dengan sepau ibu saya.	My shoes are as expensive as my sister’s shoes.
Bambang sepandai Budi. Bambang sama pandai (nya) dengan Budi.	Bambang is as clever as Budi.

To say “not the same as” or “not as…as”, simply adds tidak, meaning “no” before “se-“or “sama”.

Examples:

Kakak laki-laki Anda tidak setinggi Anda. Kakak laki-laki Anda tidak sama tinggi (nya) dengan Anda.	Your older brother is not as tall as you.
Negara bagian Montana tidak sebesar negara bagian Alaska. Negara bagian Montana tidak sama besar (nya) dengan negara bagian Alaska.	State of Montana is not as big as State of Alaska.

Paling

“Paling/ter- + adjective” means the most or the superlative. To use paling/ter simply, place paling “the most” or ter-prefix before the adjective.Paling/ter- + adjective

Examples:

Cucu Anda pelajar terbaik di sekolahnya. Cucu Anda pelajar paling baik di sekolahnya.	Your grandchild is the best student in his/her school.
Lamborgini Aventador mobil termahal di dunia. Lamborgini Aventador mobil paling mahal di dunia.	Lamborgini Aventador is the most expensive car in the world.

Let’s Practice

Make comparison sentences for each number using the following data! Use the adjectives in the brackets!

1. Andi – 180 centimeter; Amada – 175 centimeter (tinggi, pendek)

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2. Kota Bandung – 500.000; Kota Surabaya – 500.000 orang (banyak, sedikit)

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3. Harga tas Susana – Rp (rupiah) 800.000,-; Harga tas Surti – Rp 700.000,-. (mahal, murah)

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4. Berat badan Bambang – 90 kilograms; Todung – 80 kilograms (berat, ringan)

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5. Suhu kota Medan – 27°C; suhu kota Bekasi – 30°C. (panas)

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6. Mobil Hyundai – 37 liter/kilometer; Mobil Suzuki – 20 liter/kilometer (irit, boros)

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7. Kota Surabaya; Kota Medan (bersih, kotor)

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8. Anna; Mirah (pandai, malas)

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9. Murni – 27 tahun; Yana – 40 tahun. (tua, muda)

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10. Martha; Tina (cepat, lambat )

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