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TOPIC · Adjectives (Adjektive)

Equality comparison with genauso.....wie

A2B1

After this lesson you can form, vary and negate equality comparisons in German with "so ... wie" and "genauso ... wie" correctly.

In this lesson you learn how to express equality in German with so ... wie and genauso ... wie, and how to modify the degree with expressions like halb so ... wie.

Basic pattern with "so ... wie" and "genauso ... wie"

We use so ... wie and genauso ... wie to say that two things have the same degree of a quality.

  • so ... wie: neutral, very common
  • genauso ... wie: more emphatic, “exactly the same”

Comparison with adjectives

StructureExampleMeaning
Subject 1 + verb + so + adjective + wie + subject 2Die Blume ist so schön wie die Rose.The flower is as beautiful as the rose.
Subject 1 + verb + genauso + adjective + wie + subject 2Mein Haus ist genauso groß wie dein Haus.My house is just as big as your house.

Important: The adjective stays in the positive form (schön, groß, teuer), never with -er or am ...sten.

Examples

  • Die Uhr ist so teuer wie das Fahrrad.
    (The watch is as expensive as the bike.)
  • Der Film ist genauso spannend wie das Buch.
    (The film is just as exciting as the book.)
  • Deine Arbeit ist so wichtig wie meine Arbeit.
    (Your work is as important as my work.)
  • Dieses Kleid ist genauso elegant wie der Mantel.
    (This dress is just as elegant as the coat.)

Comparison with adverbs and verbs

You can also use so ... wie and genauso ... wie with adverbs (like schnell, gut) and whole verb phrases.

StructureExampleMeaning
Subject 1 + verb + so + adverb + wie + subject 2Er läuft so schnell wie seine Schwester.He runs as fast as his sister.
Subject 1 + verb + genauso + adverb + wie + subject 2Sie arbeitet genauso hart wie ihr Kollege.She works just as hard as her colleague.

More examples:

  • Ich esse so viel wie du.
    (I eat as much as you.)
  • Wir treffen uns genauso oft wie früher.
    (We meet just as often as before.)

Negation: "nicht so ... wie"

With nicht so ... wie you say that something is less in comparison.

StructureExampleMeaning
Subject 1 + verb + nicht so + adjective/adverb + wie + subject 2Dieser Stuhl ist nicht so bequem wie der andere.This chair is not as comfortable as the other one.

More examples:

  • Meine Wohnung ist nicht so groß wie deine Wohnung.
    (My flat is not as big as your flat.)
  • Er spricht nicht so gut Deutsch wie seine Freundin.
    (He does not speak German as well as his girlfriend.)

Nuances: "halb so", "doppelt so", "fast so"

These expressions change the degree in the comparison.

ExpressionExampleMeaning
halb so ... wieDiese Tasse ist halb so groß wie die andere.This cup is half as big as the other one.
doppelt so ... wieDieser Tisch ist doppelt so breit wie der andere.This table is twice as wide as the other one.
fast so ... wieDas Wetter ist fast so gut wie gestern.The weather is almost as good as yesterday.

More examples:

  • Er ist halb so alt wie sein Bruder.
    (He is half as old as his brother.)
  • Die Miete ist doppelt so hoch wie früher.
    (The rent is twice as high as before.)
  • Dein Ergebnis ist fast so gut wie ihr Ergebnis.
    (Your result is almost as good as her result.)

Typical mistakes to avoid

  • No comparative ending: so schöner wie is wrong → so schön wie.
  • Use wie, not als: so groß als is wrong → so groß wie.
  • Word order: ist so groß wie – so stands directly before the adjective/adverb.

summaryEn: After this lesson you can form, vary and negate equality comparisons in German with "so ... wie" and "genauso ... wie" correctly.