Grammar in brief: Cheaper, the best, sweet as honey

1At a glance

Ask what you’re measuring. More or less than the other one: daha. More than all of them: en. The same amount, to the same degree: kadar. And if it isn’t “how much” but “what it’s like”: gibi.

More daha

It means: “more”: daha ucuz — cheaper
The other side: takes -⁠dan: “than you” is “from you”: senden daha uzun
Example: Uçak trenden daha hızlı — a plane’s faster than a train
Its quirk: with -⁠dan there, it can go: Senden uzun

The most en

It means: “the most”: en ucuz — the cheapest
The other side: “of all” is the genitive and “its”: evin en güzel odası
Example: menünün en ucuz yemeği — the cheapest dish on the menu
Its quirk: goes before çok and az too: en çok — most of all

As much as kadar

It means: “as … as”, “as much as”
The other side: a noun just as it is, a pronoun in the genitive: Ayşe kadar, senin kadar
Example: İzmir, İstanbul kadar kalabalık değil — İzmir isn’t as crowded as Istanbul
Its quirk: the same word measures price and time: ne kadar?, akşama kadar

Like gibi

It means: “like”: the same kind, the same way
The other side: as with kadar: bal gibi, senin gibi
Example: Bu çay su gibi — this tea’s like water, far too weak
Its quirk: takes a person ending: Annem gibisin! — you’re just like my mum!

who	-⁠danthan…	kadaras much as…	gibilike…
benI	benden	benim kadar	benim gibi
senyou	senden	senin kadar	senin gibi
ohe, she	ondan	onun kadar	onun gibi
bizwe	bizden	bizim kadar	bizim gibi
sizyou (pl.)	sizden	sizin kadar	sizin gibi
onlarthey	onlardan	onlar kadar	onlar gibi

2The key points

The adjective itself never changes: no endings, no irregulars. İyi — daha iyi — en iyi — senin kadar iyi.
The order never changes: who you compare with, then the comparing word, and last, what kind. Senden daha uzun, senin kadar uzun, bal gibi tatlı. En goes straight before the adjective too.
What you get behaves like any adjective: it takes a person ending, değil and mı. Senden daha yorgunum, Onun kadar hızlı değilim, Bu oda en ucuz mu?
For age it’s büyük and küçük: older is “bigger”, younger is “smaller”. By how much goes in front, in years: Abim benden üç yaş büyük.

3How it works

You can tell the same truth from either side: with daha, or with kadar and değil.

Tren uçaktan daha yavaş.— A train is slower than a plane.

Tren uçak kadar hızlı değil.— A train isn’t as fast as a plane.

How much more is said before daha: çok daha is “much”, and daha da is “even”, when there was plenty already. Çok daha ucuz — much cheaper.

Bu börek çok güzel! — Annemin böreği daha da güzel.— This börek’s lovely! — My mum’s is even better.

Bu kadar is “this much”, and o kadar is “that much”, “so”. With değil it’s “not all that”: what you say when someone gasps at a price or the weather.

Pahalı mı? — Yok, o kadar pahalı değil.— Is it expensive? — No, not all that expensive.

4In real life

Daha ucuz bir oda var mı?Have you got a cheaper room?

Pazarda domates çok daha ucuz.Tomatoes are much cheaper at the market.

— Kaç yaşındasın? — Yirmi. Ablamdan iki yaş küçüğüm.— How old are you? — Twenty. I’m two years younger than my sister.

Annemin börekleri dünyanın en güzel börekleri!My mum’s börek is the best in the world!

Türk kahvesi gibi kahve yok!There’s no coffee like Turkish coffee!

Sen de benim kadar yorgunsun, değil mi?You’re as tired as I am, aren’t you?

Tam senin gibi bir arkadaşım var.I’ve got a friend who’s just like you.

5Where it’s easy to slip

Not like this	Like this	Why
Ali benim daha uzun.	Ali benden daha uzun.	“Than me” is -⁠dan, not “my”.
sen kadar	senin kadar	Before kadar and gibi a pronoun takes the genitive.
onların gibi	onlar gibi	“They” stays as it is.
şehrin en güzel park	şehrin en güzel parkı	After the genitive comes “its”: parkı.
Ali benden uzun daha.	Ali benden daha uzun.	Daha goes straight before the adjective.

6Check yourself

Four questions, each with two or three rules at once: which word, which case, what goes on the end. Every wrong answer slips on exactly one.

1“My husband is five years younger than me.” Which is right throughout?

2“This is the cheapest restaurant in town.” Which is right throughout?

3“İzmir is smaller than Istanbul.” Fill the gap.

İzmir ? daha küçük.

4“This room is the size of our kitchen.” Which is right throughout?