-er

Table of contents

1 English 1.1 Suffix 1.1.1 Usage notes 1.1.2 Translations 1.2 See also

English

Suffix

-er

1. Used to form the comparative of some adjectives and of a few adverbs.

   longer, bigger, faster, sooner

2. Used to form agent nouns from verbs.

   reader, cooker, passerby, runner-up, do-gooder

3. Used to form the names of residents or inhabitants of particular places.

   New Yorker

4. Used to form nouns meaning the player of certain particular musical instruments.

   trumpeter

5. Used to form nouns meaning the player of certain sports or games.

   cricketer

6. Used with numbers, measurements or numbers of things to mean something ranked by that number, being of that measurement or having that number of things.

   sixer

   six-footer

   four-hander , three-wheeler

Usage notes

1. Final y becomes i when this suffix is added (easy, easier; worry, worrier).
2. This suffix may be used to form the comparative of:

   • adjectives and adverbs that have one syllable(hot, hotter; fast, faster);
   • some, but not all, adjectives that have two syllables (funny, funnier).

3. Most longer adjectives, and adjectives that are participles, form the comparative using more (enormous, more enormous; burnt, more burnt; freezing, more freezing).
4. If in doubt, use more instead (thirsty may become thirstier but more thirsty would also be acceptable).
5. The suffix may be used to form an agent noun of any verb. In compound or phrasal verbs, the suffix usually follows the verb component (as in passerby and runner-up) but is sometimes added at the end, irrespective of the position of the verb component (do-gooder) or is added to both components for humorous effect (washer-upper).

Translations

in comparatives

French: plus (used before the adjective or adverb) German: -er Italian: più (used before the adjective or adverb)

Spanish: más (used before the adjective or adverb) Swedish: mer (used before the adjective or adverb), -are

in agent nouns

French: -eur m, -euse f (see specific words ending with this prefix for precise translations) Italian: -ore m (see specific words for precise translations)

-re

in names of residents or inhabitants

French: translated as habitant/habitante m/f de <place> (see specific words ending with this prefix for precise translations)

Swedish: -bo, -are

in names of players of musical instruments

French: translated as joueur /joueuse m/f de <instrument> (see specific words ending with this prefix for precise translations)

Swedish: -are, -ist, -spelare

in names of players of sports

French: translated as joueur /joueuse m/f de <sport> (see specific words ending with this prefix for precise translations) Italian: translated as giocatore/giocatrice m/f di ... (see specific words ending with this prefix for precise translations)

Swedish: -spelare

with numbers, measurements or numbers of things to mean something ranked by that number, being of that measurement or having that number of things

French: translated as <thing> à <number> <components>, <thing> de <number> <units> or <thing> qui a <number> <units> de <dimension>. See specific words ending with this prefix. he's a six-footer - il a six pieds de hauteur Italian: translated as <thing> ha <number> <components>, <thing> di <number> <units> or <person/thing> chi/che ha <number> <units> de <dimension>. See specific words ending with this prefix. he's a six-footer - ha sei piedi di altezza

See also

• -est
• more