Kilo Lingo
Esperanto grammar Part of Chapter 3

CEFR A1-A2

4 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Esperanto Comparisons: pli, plej, ol and kiel

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

Put in front for more and for most; than is . The adjective never changes shape, and there are no irregular forms.

more or less ... thanas ... asmostWhat do the colours mean?
EsperantoEnglish
big
bigger than me
less big
the biggest
as big as me

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Ol or kiel? Ol goes with pli and malpli, kiel with tiel.

  1. Li estas pli forta mi.

  2. Ŝi estas tiel juna vi.

  3. La ĉambro estas malpli granda la domo.

The same smiling golden dog drawn three times side by side on the grass: a tiny one, a normal-sized one and a huge one that fills half the picture.

Malgranda hundo, a small dog; pli granda hundo, a bigger dog; la plej granda hundo, the biggest dog.

pli and plej

The adjective stays as it is. makes the comparative, the superlative:

PlainMoreMost

English has bigger against more beautiful and good, better, best. Esperanto has , , , and that is the whole system.

Adverbs work the same way, usually without :

  • . - He runs faster.
  • . - She runs fastest.

ol: than

brings in the thing you compare with. In a comparison it comes after or :

  • . - He is taller than me.
  • . - Nothing is more important than the truth.

The superlative names its group with or , never :

  • . - She is the youngest of the children.

has a few fixed partners outside comparison too: (other than), (before). It never means as.

tiel ... kiel: as ... as

For equality, the pair is ... ; for amounts, ... (with before a noun):

  • . - She is as strong as her father.
  • . - I work as fast as he does.
  • . - I have as many books as you.

, not : the father is the subject of a shortened clause of his own (as her father is), so cannot point back to .

The pairs never cross:

ComparisonFirst wordThen
more, less,
as ... as
as much as

Less: malpli, and what mal- does here

more or less ... thanmostWhat do the colours mean?

is less, and it takes like :

  • . - This book is less interesting than that one.

- can also go on the adjective. Both places are correct, and they are not quite the same claim:

FormLiterallyThe claim
less bigranks it lower on size
smallerthe everyday choice
less goodit may still be decent
worsetends to suggest it is bad

With size the difference is small. With goodness it is real: the first is the diplomatic one, the second the blunt one.

The least is , and - is also common:

  • . - That is the least important matter.
  • . - That is the least important matter.

Very is not most

English most does two jobs: the most beautiful house ranks it, a most agreeable evening just means very. does only the first.

PlainStrongest
  1. belabeautiful
  2. tre belavery beautiful
  3. belegagorgeous
  4. treege belaextremely beautiful
  • . - She is very beautiful.
  • . - She is gorgeous.
  • . - She is the most beautiful (of them).

Set phrases such as (with the greatest pleasure) drop the , but still means most there.

ju pli ... des pli

The more ..., the more ... is ..., .... exists only for this; also turns up in , all the better.

  • , . - The more I learn, the more I understand.
  • , . - The longer the road, the more tired the horse.

Any pair works: ..., ... is the less ..., the more ....

-n after ol

object -nWhat do the colours mean?

What follows takes the case it would have in the full sentence. That settles an ambiguity English cannot:

  • . - He loves me more than you (love me).
  • . - He loves me more than (he loves) you.

is a subject, so it is the other lover; is an object, so it is the other one loved. English he loves me more than you is permanently ambiguous; Esperanto settles it in one letter.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
takes
takes
the group takes
meaning very: ranks, so
takes

What to do next

  1. Compare three people you know: , .
  2. Rank three things with .
  3. Read correlatives: , , and all come from the table.

See also

  • Correlatives - , , and come from the table.
  • Word building - - and --, the two affixes that change what comparison means here.
  • Adverbs - , : comparing how things are done.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Ol or kiel? Ol goes with pli and malpli, kiel with tiel.

  1. Li estas pli forta mi.

  2. Ŝi estas tiel juna vi.

  3. La ĉambro estas malpli granda la domo.

  4. Mi laboras tiel rapide li.

  5. Nenio estas pli grava la vero.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one wrong word. Tap it.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. He is taller than me.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. She is as strong as her father.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I have as many books as you.

    Your sentence is empty.

Pick the right one

0/4

Which phrase says the English?

  1. very beautiful (no comparison)

  2. the most beautiful (of them all)

  3. less good (but maybe still fine)

  4. worse

Matching

0/2

One letter decides who is loved. Match each sentence to its meaning.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you make the comparative and superlative in Esperanto?
before the word for more and for most. Nothing else changes: (big), (bigger), (the biggest). There is no good/better/best irregularity: , , . The same words work in front of adverbs: , , .
When do you use and when in Esperanto?
means than and follows or : , he is taller than me. means as and follows : , he is as tall as me. The pairs are fixed, so is wrong, because announces sameness in a sentence about difference.
What is the difference between and ?
is less big; is smaller. They usually describe the same fact, but the second is the everyday choice. With the difference is felt: (less good) leaves room for the thing still being decent, while (worse) tends to suggest it is bad.
Does Esperanto use with the superlative?
With an adjective, yes: , the most beautiful house. With an adverb, usually not: , he runs fastest, because there is no noun for to go with. The group goes after or : , the youngest of the children.
How do you say very rather than most in Esperanto?
Use or the suffix -eg-: or , very beautiful. ranks something against a group, so is the most beautiful one there. English uses most for both jobs (a most agreeable evening), and translating that with claims a comparison you never made.