Why comparison structures are important
At A2 level, it is no longer enough just to name a quality. It is important to compare people, objects, places, and situations: to say that something is bigger, better, just as convenient, or not so difficult. In Norwegian, this is done with comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs, as well as special structures with som and enn.
In this lesson, we will look at three main patterns: equality, inequality, and intensified comparison. We will also see how to compare actions and whole situations.
1. Equality: “as ... as”
To say that two things or people are equal in some quality, Norwegian uses the pattern like ... som.
Pattern: subjekt + verb + like + adjektiv/adverb + som + sammenligning
Examples:
Hun er like høy som søsteren sin. — Она такая же высокая, как её сестра.
Denne boka er like interessant som den forrige. — Эта книга такая же интересная, как предыдущая.
Han løper like fort som vennene sine. — Он бегает так же быстро, как его друзья.
The word like shows equality, and som introduces the second part of the comparison.
When an action is compared, an adverb is often used:
Hun snakker like tydelig som læreren. — Она говорит так же чётко, как учитель.
Vi kom like tidlig som dem. — Мы пришли так же рано, как они.
2. Inequality: comparative form and enn
If one object, person, or situation differs in degree, Norwegian usually uses the comparative form and the word enn.
Pattern: subjekt + verb + komparativ + enn + sammenligning
Examples:
Oslo er større enn Bergen. — Осло больше, чем Берген.
Denne oppgaven er lettere enn den forrige. — Это задание легче, чем предыдущее.
Han er yngre enn meg. — Он моложе меня.
Toget går raskere enn bussen. — Поезд едет быстрее, чем автобус.
It is important to remember that after a comparative form, Norwegian normally uses enn, not som.
3. The difference between som and enn
This is one of the most common topics at A2 level.
like ... som = equality
komparativ + enn = difference
Compare:
Hun er like gammel som meg. — Она того же возраста, что и я.
Hun er eldre enn meg. — Она старше меня.
More examples:
Denne filmen er like spennende som boka. — Этот фильм такой же захватывающий, как книга.
Denne filmen er mer spennende enn boka. — Этот фильм более захватывающий, чем книга.
4. Intensifying a comparison
Sometimes it is necessary not only to compare, but also to emphasize the degree of difference. For this, Norwegian often uses the words mye, litt, enda, and langt.
They are placed before the comparative form and show how big or small the difference is.
Examples:
Dette huset er mye dyrere enn det andre. — Этот дом намного дороже другого.
I dag er det litt kaldere enn i går. — Сегодня немного холоднее, чем вчера.
Den nye jobben er enda mer interessant. — Новая работа ещё более интересная.
Veien hit var langt vanskeligere enn vi trodde. — Дорога сюда была гораздо труднее, чем мы думали.
These words make speech more precise and natural.
5. Comparison with mer and mindre
Not all adjectives and adverbs are easily compared with a short form. In many cases, especially with longer words, Norwegian uses the structures mer ... enn and mindre ... enn.
Examples:
Denne boka er mer interessant enn den forrige. — Эта книга интереснее предыдущей.
Oppgaven var mindre vanskelig enn jeg forventet. — Задание было менее трудным, чем я ожидал.
Hun er mer forsiktig enn broren sin. — Она осторожнее своего брата.
At A2 level, it is useful to recognize both models: short comparative forms and structures with mer/mindre.
6. Comparing actions and situations
You can compare not only qualities of things, but also actions, habits, ways of doing something, and whole situations.
Examples of comparing actions:
Han jobber mer enn før. — Он работает больше, чем раньше.
Vi reiser sjeldnere enn familien vår. — Мы путешествуем реже, чем наша семья.
Hun svarer raskere enn meg. — Она отвечает быстрее, чем я.
Examples of comparing situations:
Livet i byen er mer stressende enn livet på landet. — Жизнь в городе более стрессовая, чем жизнь в деревне.
Det er lettere å lære når man øver hver dag. — Учиться легче, когда занимаешься каждый день.
Å reise med tog er ofte billigere enn å fly. — Путешествовать поездом часто дешевле, чем летать.
Note that in Norwegian, infinitive constructions can also be compared when speaking about two ways of doing something.
7. Comparison with pronouns
After som and enn, pronouns often appear. In everyday speech, short forms are especially common.
Examples:
Han er høyere enn meg. — Он выше меня.
Hun er like rask som deg. — Она такая же быстрая, как ты.
Dette er viktigere for oss enn for dem. — Это важнее для нас, чем для них.
At A2 level, the main goal is to understand and use such structures confidently in normal speech.
8. Comparison with negation
A very useful pattern is comparison through negation. It helps express difference in a softer way.
Examples:
Denne restauranten er ikke like billig som den andre. — Этот ресторан не такой дешёвый, как другой.
Jeg er ikke like trøtt som i går. — Я не такой уставший, как вчера.
Vinteren her er ikke så kald som jeg trodde. — Зима здесь не такая холодная, как я думал.
In spoken language, the pattern så ... som can also appear, especially in negative sentences. But for a solid foundation, it is useful to master like ... som well.
9. Typical difficulties
When learning comparisons, students often face several common problems.
They confuse som and enn.
They use the basic adjective form instead of the comparative.
They forget intensifiers such as mye, litt, and enda when they want to express nuance.
They translate too directly from Russian.
It is useful to remember a simple rule: if the meaning is equality, Norwegian usually uses like ... som; if one object is stronger or weaker in a quality, it uses the comparative and enn.
10. Short summary
In this lesson, we looked at the main ways of making comparisons in Norwegian. For equality, the language uses like ... som. For difference, it uses the comparative with enn. To intensify a comparison, words such as mye, litt, enda, and langt are added. It is also possible to compare not only things and people, but also actions, habits, and whole situations.
These structures are very important at A2 level because they make speech more precise, flexible, and natural. The next step is to use comparison in longer phrases and connected speech.