D2 · Lesson 5

Comparing People — Comparatives and Superlatives

المُقارَنة بَين النَّاس — أَفعَل التَّفضيل والصِّيغة العُليا

60 min | L, R, W, S

Learning Objectives

Form and use أَكثَر/أَقَلّ + adj + مِن accurately

Form and use أَفعَل comparative forms

Form and use superlatives (الأَفعَل / الأَكثَر)

Write comparisons of people using a range of structures

📌 Key grammar milestone: The أَفعَل comparative is a major Cambridge grammar point.

Lesson Outline

⏳ 8 minStarter: Better or worse? – English warmup ⏳ 15 minMain 1: Two comparative systems – systematic teaching ⏳ 18 minMain 2: Person comparison activity ⏳ 9 minMain 3: Superlative sentences – class records ⏳ 10 minPlenary: Comparison challenge

Comparative & Superlative Vocabulary

أَكثَر

comparative

أَقَلّ

less

comparative

الأَكثَر

the most

superlative

الأَقَلّ

the least

superlative

مِن بَين

among

prep

مِن كُلّ

of all

prep

مُقارَنةً بِـ

compared to

prep

بِكَثير

by far / much more

adv

بِقَليل

slightly more

adv

📌 Irregular أَفعَل Forms

أَفضَل

better

irregular

أَسوَأ

worse

irregular

أَكبَر

older / bigger

irregular

أَصغَر

younger / smaller

irregular

أَجمَل

more beautiful

irregular

أَذكى

more intelligent

irregular

📝 Example Sentences

أَحمد أَكثَر طُموحاً مِن سامي.

فاطمة أَصغَر مِن أُختِها.

هو الأَفضَل في الصَّف.

Quizzes

Choose the correct comparative form

هي ________ مِن أُختِها.

Score: 0 / 5

Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

📌 System 1: Analytical (أَكثَر/أَقَلّ + adj + مِن)

Works for ALL adjectives – including long ones.

أَكثَر طُموحاً مِن

أَقَلّ اِجتِماعِيَّةً مِن

📌 System 2: Synthetic (أَفعَل form)

For simple adjectives: C1-C2-C3 → أَC1C2َC3

جَميل → أَجمَل

كَبير → أَكبَر

صَغير → أَصغَر

ذَكي → أَذكى

📌 Irregular Forms – Must Memorise

جَيِّد → أَفضَل (better)

سَيِّئ → أَسوَأ (worse)

📌 Superlatives – الأَفعَل or الأَكثَر

الأَجمَل (the most beautiful)

الأَكبَر (the biggest)

الأَكثَر طُموحاً (the most ambitious)

IGCSE Skills Practice

Person Comparison Activity

Write 8 comparison sentences using BOTH systems. Include superlatives.

Class Records – Superlatives

Survey the class: who is oldest, tallest, most sociable? Write 5 superlative sentences.

Activities

🏆 Activity 1: Comparison Challenge

Write as many comparison sentences as you can in 60 seconds. Include both systems.

👥 Activity 2: Compare People

Compare yourself to a family member or friend using both systems (4 sentences).

Plenary

📌 Key Takeaways

✅ System 1: أَكثَر/أَقَلّ + adj + مِن – for all adjectives
✅ System 2: أَفعَل – for simple adjectives
✅ Superlatives: الأَفعَل / الأَكثَر
✅ Irregular: أَفضَل، أَسوَأ

Homework

Write 10 comparison sentences about people you know. Include 5 using أَفعَل, 3 using أَكثَر/أَقَلّ, and 2 superlatives.

1 / 7 – Objectives

Arabic 0544 Quick Revision — D2 · Lesson 5 of 12 | 🕒 60 min