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     Table of Contents Chapter 31 31.4.5 Comparatives with ambiguous meaning
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Chapter 31: Comparative and superlative

  31.4.5 Comparatives with ambiguous meaning

Some comparative forms are used to express something that has a contrary meaning of what the word itself says.

Example  
  alt = älter
  old = older
  Ein älterer Mann trank ein Bier.
  An elderly man was drinking beer.  

One could think that älterer means that the man is older than just old. This is not the case. It actually means that this person is not yet old, but older than young.

The other way around it does not work the same way. Jüngerer still means younger than just simply young.
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