Bigger, smaller, better

größer, kleiner, besser

Compare size, price and speed, and say that you feel better.

Many German comparison forms end in -er: klein → kleiner and schnell → schneller. Some also change a vowel: groß → größer and kurz → kürzer. Gut has a different form: besser. Use als for than when you name the other thing: Das Auto ist schneller als der Bus.

Start with the thing you describe, then ist and the comparison: Dieses Zimmer ist größer. A comparison can stand alone when the other thing is clear from the situation. Add als when you want to name it.

Compare two rooms or two ways of travelling. Billiger and günstiger can both describe a lower price. Heute geht es mir besser compares how you feel now with how you felt before.

Do not form the comparison of gut by adding -er: use besser. In Dieses Zimmer ist größer, one room takes ist, not sind. The -er in größer does not make the noun plural.

Learn these pairs together: groß–größer, kurz–kürzer, gut–besser. In a comparison with different amounts or qualities, als means than.

Choose between two familiar travel options. Say which is cheaper and which is faster. Then compare two rooms by size. Use only words you already know.