5 Modifying comparisons

To modify a comparison, you can use qualifying phrases (known grammatically as ‘complements’) such as yī diănr 一点儿 (a little; a bit), duōle 多了(much; a lot more) after the adjective.

‘My elder sister is a lot taller than me.’

Table 4 Using duōle 多了

Wǒ jiějie bǐ wǒ gāo duōle.
我姐姐 比 我 高 多了。
lit. My elder sister compare I tall a lot.

Note the phrase duōle 多了, when it means ‘much, a lot’, must be placed after the adjective it modifies.

You can also make a comparison more specific by adding phrases with numbers and measurements.

‘My mum is one year older than my dad.’

Table 5 Using yī suì .一岁

Wǒ māma bǐ wǒ bàba dà yī suì .
我妈妈 比 我爸爸 大 一岁。
lit. my mother compare my father big one year.

Note: when it comes to forming comparisons, you can compare the difference between Chinese and English sentence structures. Write your summary in your language notebook.

Activity 4

Part 1

Listen to the recording where you will hear a Chinese sentence and choose the most appropriate English translation for it.

Transcript (opens in new window)
 

Part 2

Translate the given sentence into Chinese and record your speech. Press the ‘Start recording’ button once to start, and then click again when you have finished your recording. Listen to yourself speaking and then compare it to the model answer provided in the feedback. The transcript is also available. Try to copy the sound and tones of the model speech.

OpenLearn - Getting started with Chinese 3
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