What you’ll be able to do
You can now compare two flats, two job offers, or two cities in German and explain why you chose one over the other. You will use comparatives, superlatives, and simple connectors to make a clear, justified decision. This is a practical skill you can use this week.
The idea
Comparing in German follows a clear pattern. You already know the comparative form: billiger (cheaper), größer (bigger), besser (better). You also know the superlative: am billigsten (cheapest), am größten (biggest), am besten (best).
What changes now is how you use them in real decisions. You do not just say one thing is cheaper. You say you chose it because it is cheaper. You weigh two options and give a reason. That is the milestone.
The structure is simple: state the two options, compare them, then give your choice with a reason. German speakers do this every day when talking about flats, jobs, and cities. You will do the same.
See it in German
Here are real sentences you can use. Each one compares two things and justifies a choice. Read them aloud.
- Wohnung A ist billiger als Wohnung B, also nehme ich Wohnung A. (Flat A is cheaper than flat B, so I will take flat A.)
- Job A ist näher als Job B. Deshalb ist Job A besser für mich. (Job A is closer than job B. That is why job A is better for me.)
- München ist teurer als Leipzig, aber die Arbeit ist besser. (Munich is more expensive than Leipzig, but the work is better.)
- Diese Wohnung ist nicht so groß wie die andere, aber sie ist ruhiger. (This flat is not as big as the other one, but it is quieter.)
- Job B hat mehr Urlaub als Job A. Deshalb ist Job B attraktiver. (Job B has more holiday than job A. That is why job B is more attractive.)
- Berlin ist größer als Köln, aber Köln ist übersichtlicher. (Berlin is bigger than Cologne, but Cologne is more manageable.)
- Die Miete in Hamburg ist höher als in Dresden. Trotzdem ziehe ich nach Hamburg. (The rent in Hamburg is higher than in Dresden. Nevertheless I am moving to Hamburg.)
- Wohnung B ist am hellsten, deshalb gefällt sie mir am besten. (Flat B is the brightest, therefore I like it the most.)
Notice the connectors: also (so), deshalb (therefore), aber (but), trotzdem (nevertheless). They link your comparison to your decision. This is what turns a grammar exercise into a real conversation.
Read it in the wild
Now read a real text that uses these patterns. Go to globaleveryday.com and find an A1 cost-of-living article comparing two German cities. The site publishes every news article in an A1-A2 German version with a vocabulary box. That is your practice material.
Read the article once without stopping. Then read it again and highlight every comparative: billiger, teurer, größer, besser. Notice how the writer compares the two cities and gives reasons. You will recognise the same structures from the examples above.
After reading, write three sentences comparing the two cities yourself. Use the pattern: option A is [comparative] than option B, [connector] I prefer [choice]. This is the milestone in action.
Common mistakes
Here are the errors learners make at this stage, and how to fix them.
- Wrong: Wohnung A ist mehr billig als Wohnung B. Right: Wohnung A ist billiger als Wohnung B. The comparative of billig is billiger, not mehr billig. You do not use mehr with short adjectives.
- Wrong: Job A ist besser wie Job B. Right: Job A ist besser als Job B. After a comparative, the word for “than” is always als, never wie. Use wie only for equality: so groß wie (as big as).
- Wrong: Ich nehme Wohnung A weil es billiger ist. Right: Ich nehme Wohnung A, weil sie billiger ist. The flat is die Wohnung, feminine, so the pronoun is sie, not es. Match the pronoun to the noun you are replacing.
- Wrong: Diese Stadt ist die größte. (when comparing two) Right: Diese Stadt ist größer. When you compare exactly two things, use the comparative größer, not the superlative die größte. Save the superlative for three or more.
Where you are now
This is lesson 43 of 49. You just finished “Comparing Things: Comparatives and Superlatives” and now you can apply that grammar to real decisions about flats, jobs, and cities. The next lesson is “Because, That, If: weil, dass, wenn and Word Order”, which will give you even more tools to justify your choices. You are past the halfway point of the course and your German is becoming genuinely useful for daily life in Germany.
