Comparisons
Comparisons can be divided into two types: comparatives, which pit two things against each other, and superlatives, which describe one thing as beyond everything else.
Comparatives
toki pona doesn't have a specific grammatical construction for comparatives, but there are nonetheless multiple ways to express them:
- Separate the claim into two sentences with an implied connection:
- poki mi li lili. sike sina li suli.
- My bag is small. Your ball is big.
- poki mi li suli (lili). sike sina li suli mute.
- My bag is (a bit) big. Your ball is very big.
- Do the above, but make the connection explicit with taso:
- poki mi li lili, taso sike sina li suli.
- My bag is small, but your ball is big.
- Use la to make the magnitude of one claim relative to the other subject:
- poki mi la sike sina li suli.
- In terms of my bag, your ball is big.
- Similarly, use tawa to put the claim "in the perspective" of another:
- sike sina li suli tawa poki mi.
- Your ball is big to my bag.
- Use a superlative with a limited scope:
- poki mi en sike sina la sike li suli nanpa wan.
- In terms of my bag and your ball, the ball is number one in bigness.
- poki mi anu sike sina la sike li suli mute.
- In terms of my bag or your ball, the ball is very big.
A fuller list (albeit with some very weird examples) can be found here, courtesy of /u/forthentwice.
Superlatives
Superlatives are even simpler:
- Use nanpa wan:
- poki sina li suli nanpa wan.
- Your bag is number one in bigness.
- Intensify the claim:
- poki sina li suli mute.
- Your bag is very big.