Thai comparisons: more, less, most and equal

Compare or pick the most

Place กว่า or ที่สุด after the describing word.

หนังสือเล่มนี้แพงกว่าหนังสือเล่มนั้น says this book is more expensive than that book. Keep แพง, expensive, unchanged; add กว่า, then name the comparison partner. หนังสือเล่มนี้ถูกกว่าหนังสือเล่มนั้น says this book is cheaper. The describing word tells us what increases or decreases.

ฉันมีหนังสือมากกว่าคุณ says I have more books than you. ฉันมีหนังสือน้อยกว่าคุณ says I have fewer. Here มาก and น้อย compare amounts; กว่า is the same comparison link. Do not use only กว่า to mean a smaller amount.

Imagine three books on the table. หนังสือเล่มนี้แพงที่สุด says this book is the most expensive of those being compared. ที่สุด picks the highest degree in a relevant group; แพงมาก only says very expensive. Being very expensive does not by itself mean the most expensive.

The comparison partner or group can be understood in conversation. เล่มนี้ถูกกว่า can be enough when the two books are clear. In these exercises, the partner or group is stated so you do not have to guess.

This block compares a stated quality or amount. Change over time and fuller preference patterns come later.

Equal in what way?

Use เท่า with a partner, or เท่ากัน for the things compared together.

หนังสือเล่มนี้แพงเท่าหนังสือเล่มนั้น says this book is as expensive as that book. The taught short pattern is describing word, เท่า, comparison partner. A form with เท่ากับ is also possible; this block practises the short pattern.

หนังสือสองเล่มนี้ราคาเท่ากัน says these two books have the same price. เท่ากัน describes equal amounts or degrees for the things considered together. Equal price does not mean they are the same physical book or have the same contents.

หนังสือเล่มนี้ไม่แพงเท่าหนังสือเล่มนั้น says this book is not as expensive as that book. ไม่ comes before the describing word, and เท่า introduces the comparison partner. This compares prices; it does not claim that the first book is cheap in an absolute sense.

Be clear about what you are comparing: size, price or amount. Two books can cost the same and be different sizes. Saying that one is less expensive does not necessarily mean it is cheap.

These equal-degree patterns do not cover every meaning of same or identical.

Equal price, different books

ราคาเท่ากัน means the prices are equal. The books can still differ in size or content. เท่ากัน says that a particular amount or quality matches; context tells us which one.