Lesson 57: 보다, 더
In this lesson, you will learn how to use the particle 보다 and the adverb 더 to compare things in Korean. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to say things like, “I like coffee more than tea.“, “The weather is hotter this week compared to last week.“, etc.
Lesson 57: 보다, 더
더 (more)
더 is an adverb that means ‘more’ in Korean. 더 can be used with nouns, adjectives, other adverbs, or verbs. The position of 더 in a sentence depends on the type of word it is being used with. See the table below.
| Position In Sentence | Examples |
|---|---|
| Noun + 더 | 커피 (coffee) → 커피 더 (more coffee) 10분 (10 minutes) → 10분 더 (10 more minutes) |
| 더 + adjective | 크다 (to be big) → 더 크다 (to be bigger) 작다 (to be small) → 더 작다 (to be smaller) |
| 더 + adverb | 자주 (often) → 더 자주 (more often) 천천히 (slowly) → 더 천천히 (more slowly) |
| 더 + Verb | 주다 (to give) → 더 주다 (to give more) 있다 (to have) → 더 있다 (to have more) |
더 Examples:
커피 = coffee
커피 더 마실까요? = Shall we drink more coffee?
작아요. = It’s small.
더 작아요. = It’s smaller.
천천히 = slowly
더 천천히 말해 주세요. = Please speak more slowly.
주세요. = Please give me.
더 주세요. = Please give me more.
보다 (than / compared to)
보다 means ‘than‘ or ‘compared to‘ and is used together with 더 when comparing two things. 보다 is attached to the second thing that is being compared, and 더 is placed before the adjective, adverb, or verb. Let’s look at an example.
비행기가 기차보다 더 빨라요. = Airplanes are faster than trains.
In this sentence, the first thing that is compared is 비행기 (airplane), and the second is 기차 (train). As you can see, 보다 is attached 기차 to make 기차보다 (compared to trains), and 더 is attached to the adjective 빨라요 (fast) to make 더 빨라요 (faster). An easy way to remember the sentence structure is to remember the pattern ‘Noun +보다 더’ and attach it to the second noun that is being compared.
보다 Examples:
어제 = yesterday
어제보다 = compared to yesterday
오늘이 어제보다 더 바빠요. = Today is busier than yesterday.
부산 = Busan
부산보다 = compared to Busan
서울이 부산보다 더 커요. = Seoul is bigger than Busan.
차 = tea
차보다 = compared to tea
커피를 차보다 더 좋아해요. = I like coffee more than tea.
가족 = (my) family
가족보다 = compared to (my) family
친구를 가족보다 더 자주 만나요. = I meet my friends more often than my family.
요리하는 것 = cooking (noun form)
요리하는 것보다 = compared to cooking
배달 음식을 주문하는 것이 요리하는 것보다 더 편해요. = Ordering delivery food is more convenient than cooking.
Things To Note
Usually, the noun with 보다 attached comes after the subject in a sentence. However, in everyday conversations, it is common for the noun with 보다 attached to come before the subject. When this happens, there is no change in meaning. Remember, you can tell what the subject in the sentence is as it is marked with the subject marking particle 가.
영어가 한국어보다 더 어려워요. = English is more difficult than Korean.
한국어보다 영어가 더 어려워요. = English is more difficult than Korean.
Another thing to note is that although 더 is usually used together with 보다, 더 is often dropped in real, everyday conversations.
저 책보다 이 책이 더 재미있어요. = This book is more interesting than that book.
저 책보다 이 책이 재미있어요. = This book is more interesting than that book.
Example Sentences
동생이 언니보다 더 커요. = My little sister is bigger than my elder sister.
올해는 작년보다 비가 많이 와요. = It’s raining more this year than last year.
지난주보다 이번 주가 더 더워요. = It’s hotter this week than last week.
출퇴근 시간에는 버스보다 지하철이 빨라요. = During rush hour, subways are faster than buses.
한국 드라마를 좋아해요, 아니면 한국 영화를 좋아해요? = Do you like Korean dramas or Korean movies?
한국 드라마를 영화보다 좋아해요. = I like Korean dramas more than movies.