Comparatives and preferences

To compare, add -er to the adjective. That is the entire rule, and it works far more consistently than English, which keeps switching to "more …".

Short adjectives with a, o or u usually add an umlaut as well. And a few of the most common words are simply irregular — which, as always, is exactly why you hear them constantly.

To say than, use als. Not "wie" — that is for saying things are the same.

• Dieses Auto ist schneller.

  This car is faster.

• Mein Auto ist schneller als dein Auto.

  My car is faster than your car.

• Mein Laptop ist besser.

  My laptop is better.

• Deutschland ist größer als Marokko.

  Germany is bigger than Morocco.

• Meine Frau arbeitet heute länger als ich.

  My wife is working longer than me today.

For preferences, gern becomes lieber. Remember that gern attaches to a verb — so lieber means would rather do, not like more.

• Ich trinke lieber Kaffee.

  I prefer drinking coffee.

• Ich spiele lieber Minecraft als Valorant.

  I would rather play Minecraft than Valorant.

• Ich arbeite lieber von zu Hause.

  I prefer working from home.

Used after the verb like this, the comparative never takes an extra ending. Mein Auto ist schneller — never schnellerer.