stærkere

Stärkere is a form of the German adjective stark used to express a higher degree of strength. It appears in attributive position when the adjective is declined with a determiner, such as a definite article, and in certain indefinite article constructions. In standard usage, the basic comparative form is stärker, which is used without a determiner or in direct comparisons, while stärkere is the form that accompanies a determiner in the singular.

Forms and examples: In singular, after a determiner, stärkere occurs across gender: der stärkere Mann, die stärkere Frau, das stärkere Kind. In plural, the corresponding form is stärkeren: die stärkeren Männer. The word can also appear with indefinite determiners in similar singular contexts, for example eine stärkere Leistung. The endings reflect German adjective declension rules: the stem is strengthened to stärk-, and the ending -e marks the singular, while -en marks the plural.

Usage notes: Stärkere is not a separate lexical item; it is an inflected form of stark. It is primarily used to indicate that one entity has more strength than another within a definite or definite-like context. The uninflected comparative stärker is used in direct comparisons without a determiner, as in Er ist stärker als ich. In standard writing, stärkere is written with the same orthography as other inflected forms of stark; the umlaut on the stem reflects historical vowel changes in German.

See also: stark, stärker, stärkeren, stärkere Mann/Frau/Kind constructions.