Formso + Adjektiv (Grundform) + wie; nicht so + Adjektiv + wie
Meaning and usage
Use so ... wie to say that two things are equal in some way. The adjective between so and wie stays in its basic form, with no ending: Er ist so groß wie ich. For emphasis you can say genauso ... wie, which means the same. The negative form nicht so ... wie means that one thing is less than the other: Er ist nicht so groß wie ich.
Learners often add a comparative ending here, as in Er ist so größer wie ich. That is not German. After so the adjective has no -er. Also remember that wie follows the adjective, not als: als belongs with the comparative, as in größer als.
Examples 5
Er ist so groß wie ich.
He's as tall as I am.
Er ist nicht so groß wie ich.
He's not as tall as I am.
Er ist nicht so groß wie sein Bruder.
He is not as tall as his brother.
Die Jungen waren genauso nervös wie die Mädchen.
The boys were as nervous as the girls.
Dieses Auto ist genauso groß wie das da.
This car is as big as that car.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Mein Bruder ist groß wie ich.
Show answer
Correct answer: so
The sentence compares two people of equal height, so the basic adjective groß goes between so and wie. so ... wie is the fixed pattern for equality.
- als is used after a comparative, as in größer als, but this sentence has wie.
- größer is a comparative and would need als, not wie, so it does not fit here.
- am größten is a superlative and cannot appear in the so ... wie pattern.
In this topic: Comparative and superlative
- schneller, kleiner, interessanter Add -er to an adjective to compare two things
- alt → älter, groß → größer many short adjectives add an umlaut in the comparative
- größer als use als after a comparative to say than
- so groß wie, nicht so groß wie as ... as, not as ... as
- am schnellsten the superlative after a verb: am + adjective + -sten
- der schnellste Zug superlative before a noun takes adjective endings
- gut, besser, am besten gut has its own comparative and superlative forms
- viel, mehr, am meisten much, more, most: the irregular forms of viel
- gern, lieber, am liebsten gern, lieber, am liebsten: like, prefer, like best
- hoch, höher; nah, näher, am nächsten irregular forms of hoch and nah
- ein größeres Haus comparative adjective before a noun keeps its ending
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.