Using Comparatives: als vs. wie
ஒப்பீட்டில் als மற்றும் wie
The last lesson taught you the comparative form itself (schöner, größer); this one teaches the word that connects it to what you're comparing against — and German splits that connector in two, depending on whether the two things are unequal or equal.
Grammar Comparison
இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு
als for 'more/less than', wie for 'as...as'
Er ist größer als ich. (He is taller THAN me — unequal, comparative + als) vs. Er ist so groß wie ich. (He is as tall AS me — equal, so + adjective + wie)
அவன் என்னைவிட உயரம். (unequal, -விட 'than/compared to') vs. அவன் என்னைப் போல உயரம். (equal, -போல 'like/as')
Tamil already keeps these two comparison types apart with two different words — -விட ('than', for an unequal comparison) and -போல ('like/as', for an equal one) — so the underlying instinct isn't new. German's version of that same split is als (only after a comparative form like größer, and only for inequality) versus wie (paired with so..., for equality). The single most common learner mistake is using wie after a comparative (größer wie ich) where als is required — keep the Tamil -விட/-போல split in mind and the correct German word usually follows.
Vocabulary
சொற்கள்
| German | Pronunciation | Tamil | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| größer als | GRER-ser ahls | ...ஐவிட உயரம்...aiviḍa uyaram | taller than |
| so groß wie | zoh grohs vee | ...ஐப் போல உயரம்...aip pōla uyaram | as tall as |
| besser als | BES-er ahls | ...ஐவிட நல்லது...aiviḍa nalladhu | better than |
| genauso schnell wie | geh-NOW-zoh shnel vee | ...ஐப் போல வேகமாக...aip pōla vēgamāga | just as fast as |