Then vs Than: Time or Comparison
Then vs Than (then ও than-এর পার্থক্য)
Introductionভূমিকা
'This phone is better then that one' is one of those errors that never gets corrected, because the sentence still makes sense to a reader. It just quietly marks the writing as careless.
'This phone is better then that one' — এমন একটা ভুল যা কখনো শুধরে দেওয়া হয় না, কারণ পাঠক অর্থটা ঠিকই বোঝেন। শুধু লেখাটা নীরবে অযত্নের ছাপ পেয়ে যায়।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
'Then' is about time or sequence — next, after that, at that time. 'Than' is used to compare two things — bigger than, more than, rather than.
'Then' সময় বা ক্রম বোঝায় — তারপর, এরপর, তখন। 'Than' দুটো জিনিসের তুলনায় বসে — bigger than, more than, rather than।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
সবচেয়ে সহজ কৌশল অক্ষর দিয়ে: **th**e**n** — 'time'-এর মতো, সময় বোঝায়; আর **th**a**n** — 'comp**a**re'-এর মতো, তুলনা বোঝায়। আরও সহজ: 'then' আর 'when' মেলে — দুটোই সময়ের। যেখানেই তুলনা আছে, সেখানেই than: **bigger than, better than, more than, less than, older than, rather than, other than, no sooner than**। আর যেখানে ক্রম বা সময়, সেখানে then: 'First boil the water, then add the tea', 'I was a student then', 'If it rains, then we'll stay home'। উচ্চারণেও পার্থক্য আছে, যদিও কথায় দ্রুত বললে দুটোই প্রায় এক শোনায় — এই কারণেই লেখার সময় ভুলটা টিকে থাকে। মনে রাখবেন, তুলনার বাক্যে 'than'-এর পরে সাধারণত কর্তা-রূপ ভালো: 'He is taller than I am' বা কথ্য ভাষায় 'taller than me'। দুটোই চলে, তবে পরীক্ষায় প্রথমটা নিরাপদ।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- Dhaka is bigger than Khulna.ঢাকা খুলনার চেয়ে বড়। (তুলনা — than)
- First we ate, then we left.আগে খেলাম, তারপর বেরোলাম। (ক্রম — then)
- This year's result is better than last year's.এ বছরের ফল গত বছরের চেয়ে ভালো।
- I was living in Sylhet then.তখন আমি সিলেটে থাকতাম। (সময়)
- I'd rather walk than wait for a bus.বাসের জন্য অপেক্ষা করার চেয়ে হেঁটে যাওয়াই ভালো। (rather … than)
- If the shop is closed, then try the one near the mosque.দোকান বন্ধ থাকলে মসজিদের পাশেরটায় দেখো। (if … then)
- It cost more than I expected.ভেবেছিলাম তার চেয়ে বেশি দাম পড়েছে।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
He is taller then his brother.
He is taller than his brother.
Two people are being compared, so it is 'than'.
I finished the work, than I went home.
I finished the work, then I went home.
This is a sequence of events — 'then'.
More then five hundred people came.
More than five hundred people came.
'More than' is always a comparison.
I would rather stay home then go out.
I would rather stay home than go out.
'Rather … than' is a fixed comparison pattern.
Tipsটিপস
- then = time (both have an e). than = compare (both have an a). — then = time (দুটোতেই e)। than = compare (দুটোতেই a)।
- 'Then' pairs with when, now, after, first, next. 'Than' pairs with -er words and more/less. — 'Then' চলে when, now, after, first, next-এর সাথে। 'Than' চলে -er শব্দ আর more/less-এর সাথে।
- Any sentence with 'better', 'bigger', 'more' or 'rather' takes 'than'. — 'better', 'bigger', 'more' বা 'rather' থাকা যেকোনো বাক্যে বসবে 'than'।
- Spellcheckers never catch this — both are real words. Proofread for it deliberately. — Spellchecker কখনো ধরবে না — দুটোই আসল শব্দ। ইচ্ছে করে খুঁজে দেখুন।
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. Fill in: My phone is faster ___ yours.
2. Fill in: We had tea, and ___ we went for a walk.
3. Fill in: There were more ___ fifty guests.
4. Fill in: I'd rather stay here ___ move to another city.
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Correct: 'This route is shorter then the other one.'
Hint: Is anything being compared?
2. Fill in: Finish your homework first, ___ you can watch TV.
Hint: One thing after another.
3. Fill in: The fare is less ___ I thought.
Hint: 'Less' signals a comparison.
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- Comparative and Superlative AdjectivesLearn comparative and superlative adjectives in Bangla and English: the -er/-est and more/most rules, irregular forms, examples, common mistakes and a free quiz.
- Common Writing Mistakes in EnglishThe most common writing mistakes in english for Bangladeshi learners: articles, prepositions, spelling and word order, with Bangla meaning, fixes and a quiz.
- Its vs It's: The Apostrophe RuleIts vs it's: one is possessive, one is short for 'it is'. A three-second test that always works, why the rule looks backwards, examples and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
Practise this topic in a real conversation with your AI teacher — it asks questions, corrects you gently, and adapts to your level, all inside EnglishBD.
Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Is it 'taller than me' or 'taller than I'?
Both are used. 'Taller than I am' is the safest full form for exams; 'taller than me' is normal in speech and increasingly accepted in writing.
What does 'other than' mean?
It means except: 'Other than rice, I didn't eat anything.' It uses 'than' because it is a comparison at heart.
Can 'then' start a sentence?
Yes: 'Then he told me the truth.' It is common in storytelling. 'Than' can never start a sentence, because a comparison needs something before it.
Do these sound different?
Slightly — 'then' has a clearer e sound — but in fast speech they are nearly identical. That is precisely why the error survives in writing.