Lebih + adjective + daripada

“Lebih” means more, over.
“lebih murah daripada toko-toko lainnya” – “cheaper than other stores”. This phrase shows the way to compare adjectives in Indonesian. Another example is “Rumah saya lebih jauh dari kantor daripada rumah Anda”—“My house is farther from the our office than yours.”
(Note that the first “dari”means “from” in the example, while the second “daripada” corresponds to English “than”).

Examples:
Sekolah itu lebih dekat ke Kedutaan Amerika Serikat daripada ke kantor pos.

That school is closer to the US Embassy than to the post office.

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

Examples:
Buah anggur ini jauh lebih mahal daripada buah apel itu.
These grapes are far more expensive than those apples.

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:
Kopi ini kurang manis. This coffee is not sweet enough.
Kue donat itu kurang enak. That donut 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:
Tas ini semahal tas tangan ibu saya.
Tas ini sama mahal (nya) dengan tas ibu saya. This watch is as expensive as my mother’s watch.
Bambang sepandai Ahmad.
Bambang sama pandai (nya) dengan Ahmad. Bambang is as clever as Ahmad.

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 Maryland tidak sebesar negara bagian Texas.
Negara bagian Maryland tidak sama besar (nya) dengan negara bagian Texas. Maryland state is not as big as Texas.

Paling/ter- + adjective
“Paling/ter- + adjective” means the most or the superlative. To use paling/ter simply, place paling “the most” or ter-prefix before the 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.
Lambogini 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; Sarah – 175 centimeter (tinggi, pendek)
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2. Kota Bandung – 600.000 orang; Kota Surabaya – 600.000 orang (ramai)
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3. Harga tas Tuti – Rp (rupiah) 45.760,-; Harga tas Nina – Rp 43.825,-. (mahal, murah)
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4. Berat badan Andang – 82 kilograms; Budi– 79 kilograms (berat, ringan)
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5. Suhu kota Bandung – 33°C; suhu kota Jakarta – 33°C. (panas)
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6. Mobil Hyundai – 50 liter/kilometer; Mobil Suzuki – 47 liter/kilometer (irit, boros)
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7. Kota Tangerang; Kota Bekasi (bersih, kotor)
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8. Aminah; Nina (pandai, malas)
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9. Dulah – 24 tahun; Toing – 36 tahun. (tua, muda)
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10. Amanda; Susana (cepat, lambat )
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