Lesson 21: Comparison with “hơn”, “bằng”, “nhất”

To compare things in Vietnamese, you don't need to change the adjective itself (like "tall" to "taller"). You simply add a comparison word after it.

Scaling with "hơn"

To say something is "more" than something else, place hơn immediately after the adjective.

Anh ấy cao hơn tôi.
"He is taller than me."

Hôm nay nóng hơn hôm qua.
"Today is hotter than yesterday."

The Top Tier with "nhất"

To say something is the "most," add nhất at the end.

Món này ngon nhất.
"This dish is the most delicious."

Ai là người giỏi nhất?
"Who is the best (most talented)?"

Equality with "bằng"

To say two things are equal in a specific quality, use bằng.

Tôi chạy nhanh bằng anh ấy.
"I run as fast as him."

Nhà tôi to bằng nhà bạn.
"My house is as big as your house."

Floating Comparisons

If the context is clear, you can stop right after the comparison word without naming the second item.

Cái này đẹp hơn.
"This one is more beautiful."

Examples

Tiếng Việt khó hơn tiếng Anh không?
"Is Vietnamese harder than English?"

Sách này hay nhất.
"This book is the best."

Note on nuance

Nhất is very versatile—you can combine it with almost any quality to show it's at the top of its class. Listen for how people use nhất to give high praise (or strong criticism!).