Grammar
N과/와 비교하면
Meaning
IntermediateN gwa/wa bigyohamyeon
Used to compare something with an earlier time or another thing, usually followed by a change such as an increase or decrease. It opens the sentence by setting up a yardstick, and the rest of the sentence says how the thing being described stands against it.
Form
과 after a noun ending in a consonant (작년과 비교하면), 와 after a noun ending in a vowel (어제와 비교하면). The phrase is the verb 비교하다 ('to compare') in its -(으)면 form, so 비교해, 비교해서 and 비교하여 express the same idea in a different shape and are just as common in writing. It normally sits at the front of the sentence, and what follows is usually a change: 늘었습니다, 줄었습니다, 높습니다.
Examples
작년과 비교하면 학생 수가 늘었습니다.
Compared to last year, the number of students increased.
지난달과 비교하면 물가가 조금 올랐습니다.
Compared with last month, prices have risen slightly.
버스와 비교하면 지하철이 더 빠릅니다.
Compared with the bus, the subway is faster.
다른 나라와 비교하면 한국의 여름은 습한 편입니다.
Compared with other countries, Korea's summer is fairly humid.
Common mistakes & nuance
Watch the particle: it is 과/와, not 보다. 작년보다 비교하면 is not possible — say 작년과 비교하면, or drop 비교하면 and use 작년보다 with the predicate directly. In news writing 에 비해 does the same job in fewer syllables (작년에 비해 늘었습니다) and is very common with figures.
Similar grammar
- N보다
N보다 marks the yardstick right inside the clause and attaches straight to the predicate (오늘이 어제보다 덥습니다). N과/와 비교하면 lifts the yardstick out into an opening phrase, which suits a sentence that then goes on to report a figure or a trend.