Greek to traditional-script Mongolian: comparison can use a case ending instead of a separate than word
Recognize the comparison before interpreting από
Greek πιο μεγάλος από introduces a comparison, roughly bigger than. The word από in that construction does not describe travel away from a place. Janhunen’s Mongolian grammar explains that a point of comparison can be marked with the ablative case. A translation therefore needs the comparison’s participants, not a separate target word replacing every Greek component.
The Greek dictionary recognizes both καλύτερος and πιο καλός as comparative forms of good. Their different source shapes should not force two unrelated target meanings. Both can express a relative advantage, while the choice of what is better and what it is compared with comes from the larger sentence.
More does not always need its own visible word
Janhunen illustrates relative degree with iluu eunder, higher, but also explains that an explicit comparison point can establish the comparison through ablative marking. The absence of a separate word corresponding to Greek πιο is not by itself evidence that the comparison has disappeared. The case construction may already express the relationship.
Consider the original Greek comparison Το πρώτο σχέδιο είναι καλύτερο από το δεύτερο, the first plan is better than the second. The plans have separate roles: one is evaluated, while the other supplies the standard. Reversing those roles would recommend the wrong plan. A target ablative expression must be associated with the standard, not chosen simply because a noun follows Greek από.
The same issue arises with age: bigger in Greek can describe physical size or, in a suitable context, greater age. The cited Mongolian grammar illustrates age comparison through a construction involving age. A family description should consequently not be reduced to a literal measurement of body size merely because the source uses a broadly applicable comparative.
The best and very good are different judgments
Greek ο καλύτερος can identify the best within a group, while πολύ καλός describes a high degree of goodness without necessarily ranking anybody first. Janhunen distinguishes relative superlative expressions from absolute intensification. One cannot safely replace both source judgments with the same strong adjective and assume that the ranking survived.
The grammar describes a common superlative expression built from the genitive of a word meaning all. That construction makes a comparison set relevant. In an evaluation of three proposals, the best of the three is not a claim about every proposal ever written. A Greek qualification limiting the group must remain part of the target judgment.
This page targets traditional-script Mongolian, but the short forms above reproduce the grammar’s analytic transliteration to explain the structure. They are not supplied as traditional-script spellings, nor do they imply that every contemporary regional form is identical. The script used for the final sentence and the grammatical relation being expressed are separate decisions.
A practical consequence follows for recommendation text: better than the previous version, the best available version, and a very good version offer different levels of endorsement. Greek comparison markers and the stated comparison set distinguish those claims. Mongolian case and degree expressions must preserve that difference even when there is no word-for-word alignment with the source.
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