. He is writing a letter to his mother.

7. They are looking for some handkerchiefs.

8. Have the merchants sold the velvet and the baize?

9. Yes, they sold them (los vendieron) yesterday (ayer); also the muslin
and prints.

10. Who bought them? (las compro).

11. The Germans are a very active and hard-working (trabajador) nation,
and they deserve (merecen) therefore our sincere admiration.

12. Where are the sealing-wax, the candle and the matches?

13. Here they are on the writing-desk.

14. Does the clerk understand German?

15. Yes, very well.

16. My partner and I will dine at (en) the Royal Hotel (Fonda Real).

[Footnote 38: After a preposition the verb is in the infinitive mood.]

LESSON V.
(Leccion quinta.)

THE ADJECTIVE (_Contd._).

=COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES=.

The =positive degree= expresses the quality without any further idea of
comparison, as Feliz (happy), Rico (rich).

+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| _Comparative_. | _Superlative Relative_. |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+
|Mas feliz que (happier than). | El mas feliz (the happiest). |
|Menos feliz que (less happy than).| El menos feliz (the least happy).|
|Tan rico como (as or so rich as). | |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

EXAMPLES--

Mi tio es mas pobre que su hermano: My uncle is poorer than his brother.
Su mujer es menos rica que el: His wife is less rich than he.
Soy tan feliz como V.: I am as happy as you.
No es tan amable como su primo: He is not so amiable as his cousin.

_Superlative Absolute_.

EXAMPLES--

Muy largo: Very long. Muy corto: Very short.

Another way to form the Superlative Absolute[39] is by adding =isimo=
instead of using _muy_. If the adjective ends in a vowel, this is elided
before adding _isimo_.

[Footnote 39: More rarely used and much more emphatic.]

EXAMPLES--

Estas frutas son muy maduras: These fruits are very ripe.
Estas frutas son madurisimas: These fruits are very ripe indeed.
Estos tenderos son muy ricos: These shopkeepers are very rich.
Aquellos son riquisimos: Those (others) are very rich indeed.

Before adding _isimo_, adjectives ending in

_ble_ change it into =bil=, as Amable, amabilisimo.
_c