Comparative forms

Mallorca es más grande que Menorca

You have been dealing with Spanish adjectives starting from the first lessons. You know almost everything about them. One thing that is still missing is their comparative and superlative forms.

This is what we are going to talk about in these two lessons.

The comparative form is needed to compare two or more objects. In Spanish it’s very simple. Just put the comparative adverb más in front of an adjective.

rápido – fast

más rápido – faster

guapa – beautiful

más guapa – more beautiful

alto – high

más alto – higher

Try it yourself:

grande – …

caro – …

gordo – …

There are only a couple of adjectives that have their own comparative forms.

bien – well

mejor – better

mal – bad

peor – worse

There are two more additional adjectives that can have their own forms.

menor – younger

mayor – older

¿Quién es mayor, tu hermano o tú? – Who is older, your brother or you?

Mi hermano es tres años menor que yo – My brother is three years younger than me

When comparing two objects, in sentences the que conjunction is used.

que – than

Ferrari es más rápido que Renault – Ferrari is faster than Renault

Mi padre es más fuerte que tu padre — My father is stronger than your father

Un elefante es más pesado que un tigre — An elephant is heavier than a tiger

Tus fotos son más bonitas que mis fotos — Your photos are more beautiful than my photos

Try it yourself:

Tastier

More comfortable

My house is bigger than your house

Here the soup is better than in that restaurant

Cristina is younger than Sr. Perez

Instead of más, you can use menos. It’s an adverb with the opposite meaning.

más – more

menos – less

Estos pisos son menos caros que aquéllos — These flats are less expensive than those ones

En la sala el sofá es menos cómodo que en el dormitorio — The couch in the living room is less comfortable than in the bedroom

Try it yourself:

Luis is less smart than Natalia

This movie is less boring than that one

When you use personal pronouns after que, they don’t change.

Mi hermano es más alto que yo — My brother is taller than me

Estoy más contento que tú — I’m more satisfied than you

Don’t say: más alto que mí

Try it yourself:

Carlos is richer than me

Julia is less beautiful than you

You (vosotros) are happier than us

You can use más and menos not only with adjectives, but with adverbs, nouns and even verbs.

Vuelvo más tarde – I’ll come back later

Quiero estudiar español más a menudo – I want to learn Spanish more often

Necesitamos más tiempo – We need more time

Tienes que practicar más – You have to practice more

En mi barrio hay menos personas que coches — In my neighbourhood there are less people than cars

Try it yourself:

The shop is nearer than the beach

Madrid is farther than Tarragona

There is more money in Monaco than in Portugal

Sebastian has less friends than Alex

If you need to say much more, use mucho más.

Este hotel es mucho más barato que el anterior – This hotel is much cheaper than the previous one.

Tan … como …

Sometimes we can talk about two similar objects. To do that, use the tan … como … combinator.

tan … como … – as … as …

Este vino es tan barato como el agua – This wine is as cheap as water

En Cuba las frutas son tan dulces como la miel – The fruits in Cuba are as sweet as honey

Tu bicicleta no es tan rápida como la mía – Your bicycle isn’t as fast as mine

Try it yourself:

This city is as big as New York

The sea isn’t as clean as the swimming pool