Dal'qörian comparative sentences
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Comparative sentences
There are three types of comparative sentence:
Positive
- This pie is as nice as it was yesterday.
- One picture is as nice as the next.
- It’s as good as it gets!
In Dalcurian, these are formed with the particle säsa which goes before the adjective:
- SiÞ epnij säsa quraläla ädiáda. This pie is as nice as yesterday. (In comparative sentences, adverbs of time do not begin the sentence. See Adverbs)
- Sia gä’létr di vaÞriámn,, ön sia säsa gé’älig söcasendras. She told the truth and was as honest as possible.
Using the intensifier esti with säsa also renders the equivalent of just as...as, which is slightly more emphatic:
- Binä säsa esti sæadörädn diöra. I’m just as surprised as you.
Comparative sentences
- I’m more intelligent than you.
- The train is faster than the car.
- It was more noticeable than yesterday.
These are simply formed with the comparative form of the adjective and nas-than:
- Binä tev’ilalägra nas diöra. I'm more intelligent than you.
- Sahán ni tev’éagöra evédrátsi nas Sösan. Sahán is a better driver than Sösan.
- TiÞ gé’te'natinträdn nas ädiáda. It was more noticeable than yesterday.
Sentences such as: "You are getting taller and taller. The wind is blowing stronger and stronger etc, (where the adjective is compared with itself), are formed with the adverb brát-still and the comparative:
- Diö vädenária brát te’viténa. You are getting taller and taller. lit: You are becoming still taller.
- Di ateméj löbria brát te’herecöl. The wind is blowing stronger and stronger. lit: The wind is blowing still stronger.
Superlative sentences
- I’m the best guitar player.
- This is the happiest I’ve seen her.
- We’ve been given the day off but best of all, we don’t have to go back until Wednesday.
The first two examples are simply formed with the superlative construct:
- Binä di tev’éagöra gitæjátsi. I'm the best guitar player.
- SiÞ di te’qurnöra,, taÞ binä gä’ábravisör siöra. This is the happiest I've seen her.
In the third example, the form adj + of all is formed by adding the adverbial suffix as/ni to the comparative adjective:
- Minäla, te ména, gä’ábra-efragör di iáda,, brát tev’éagöras, ména, lintöni Tradiáda, mösárax nöreÞár. We’ve been given the day off but best of all, we don’t have to go back until Wednesday. (mösárax-must not in Dalcurian translates as do not have to, see Verbs)
Negation
There are 3 ways in which to negate comparative sentences.
With positive sentences, negation comes from the expression stæmériÞ which means less than/not as much. This follows säsa:
- SiÞ epnij säsa stæmériÞ quraläla ädiáda. This pie is not as nice as yesterday.
- Sia gä’létr eÞöa vaÞriámn,, brát sia säsa stæmériÞ gé’älig söcasendras. She told some truth but was not as honest as possible.
In comparative sentences, stæmériÞ can also be used in the following sense:
- Binä ilalägra stæmériÞ diöra. I'm not more intelligent than you.
- Sahán ni tev'éagöra evédrátsi stæmériÞ Sösan. Sahán is not a better driver than Sösan.
There are 2 things to note here: firstly, nas is not required as stæmériÞ already means than.
The second is a major pitfall for foreign learners. In these contexts, stæmériÞ does not translate normally as less than/not as much as, but not more than, thus 'equalizing' the context. This is due to word position; stæmériÞ FOLLOWING the noun or adjective. So in the example below:
- Binä ilalägra stæmériÞ diöra. I'm not more intelligent than you. Lit: I am intelligent not more than you.
what we are stating is that, although I am not more intelligent than you, I am equally as intelligent.
The superlative is formed in the same way:
- Binä di éagöra stæmériÞ gitæjátsi. I'm not the best guitar player. Lit: I am the best not more than guitarist.
To imply less than, in comparative sentences, we use stæmériÞ BEFORE the adjective, as in the positive:
- Binä stæmériÞ ilalägra diöra. I am less intelligent than you.
Colloquial Expressions.
Without an adjective, stæmériÞ can be used like this:
- Binä ni stæmériÞ gitæjátsi nas diöra. I am a lesser gutarist than you. (Implying, not as good as)
Attributive and Predicative adjectives
