26 When You Compare Things (2)

It is possible that when you compare two objects or facts you find both have the same quality. Then you will say that A has the quality as that of B, or A is as good as B. In Indonesian we would say:

A sama kualitasnya dengan B

or

A sebaik B.

From these two constructions we can formulate the following general rules for comparing two objects (facts) when both have the same quality or characteristics:

[Object 1] sama + adj. +nya dengan [Object 2]

or

[Object 1] se+adj. [Object 2].

(Note that we can replace adj. with adv. in both constructions. The second construction is simpler then the other.)

Let us try digesting the rule by using some examples below.

John is clever. Tom is as clever as John.
John pintar. Tom sama pintarnya dengan John, or John sepintar Tom.

John runs rapidly. Tom runs as rapidly as John.
John lari cepat. Tom lari sama cepatnya dengan John, or Tom lari secepat John.

His house is big and expensive. Her house is as big and expensive as his (house).
Rumahnya(♂) besar dan mahal. Rumahnya(♀) sama besar dan mahalnya dengan rumahnya(♂), or Rumahnya(♀) sebesar dan semahal rumahnya(♂).


Now, it is your turn to play around with the following adjectives and adverbs.

Rajin (diligent)
Malas (lazy)
Murah (cheap)
Gelap (dark)
Terang (bright)
Bersih (clean)
Kotor (dirty)
Berharga (valuable)
Fasih (fluently)
Lambat (slowly)


Regards,

Ika