Comparatives are used to compare two people, two objects, or two situations. They vary depending on their use in the sentence. They are used with nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs. In this lesson, we will show you how to use comparatives with adjectives.
For example:
L’océan Pacifique est plus grand que l’océan Atlantique.
The Pacific Ocean is bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.
Elle est plus intelligente que toi.
She is smarter than you.
Remember:
When we compare the same possessions, it is better to use a possessive pronoun or, in certain cases, a demonstrative pronoun followed by the preposition “de” to avoid repetition.
For example Instead of saying: Ton ordinateur est plus lent que mon ordinateur.
Your computer is slower than my computer.
It’s better to say:
Ton ordinateur est plus lent que le mien.
Your computer is slower than mine.
Instead of saying:
La voiture de Fabienne est plus confortable que la voiture de Julien.
Fabienne’s car is more comfortable than Julien’s car.
It’s better to say:
La voiture de Fabienne est plus confortable que celle de Julien.
Fabienne’s car is more comfortable than Julien’s.
For example:
Il est moins patient que sa soeur.
He is less patient than his sister.
Le film était moins intéressant que le documentaire.
The movie was less interesting than the documentary.
Les pommes sont moins sucrées que les poires.
Apples are less sweet than pears.
Just like “plus que”, when comparing two possessions, we usually use possessive pronouns or demonstrative pronouns followed by the preposition “de” to avoid repetition.
Mes affaires sont moins encombrantes que celles de ma soeur.
My things are less cumbersome than my sister’s.
La bague de fiançailles de Rachel est moins chère que la mienne.
Rachel’s engagement ring is less expensive than mine.
For example:
Ses amis sont aussi drôles qu'elle.
Her friends are as funny as she.
Sa tarte aux pommes est aussi bonne que celle de ma grand-mère.
Her apple pie is as good as my grandmother’s.
Il est aussi dangereux que son père.
He is as dangerous as his father.
La réaction du journaliste était aussi bizarre que celle de l’audience.
The reaction of the journalist was as weird as that of the audience.
For example:
L’exposé d’Alexandrine était meilleur que celui de Sébastien.
Alexandrine’s presentation was better than Sébastien’s.
Remember:
The comparative of “mauvais” is generally “pire”, but “plus mauvais” is also correct and tends to be used in a more neutral context. "Pires" is stronger, more direct, and expresses a more emphatic judgment.
Ses notes sont pires que celles de sa soeur.
His grades are worse than his sister’s.
Ses notes sont plus mauvaises que celles de sa soeur.
His grades are worse than his sister’s.
Remember:
In general, we use “plus petit” to express comparison in size, number, or dimension. “Moindre” is usually used to express comparison between abstract nouns. Also, even though “moins petit” is correct, it’s not widely used.
La maison qu’il a achetée est plus petite que celle qu’il a vendue.
The house he bought is smaller than the one he sold.
La valeur nutritive du riz blanc est moindre que celle du riz complet.
The nutritive value of white rice is less than that of brown rice.
Comparatives of superiority
In French, we use the comparative “plus que” to express superiority between two people, two objects, or two situations.For example:
L’océan Pacifique est plus grand que l’océan Atlantique.
The Pacific Ocean is bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.
Elle est plus intelligente que toi.
She is smarter than you.
Remember:
When we compare the same possessions, it is better to use a possessive pronoun or, in certain cases, a demonstrative pronoun followed by the preposition “de” to avoid repetition.
For example Instead of saying: Ton ordinateur est plus lent que mon ordinateur.
Your computer is slower than my computer.
It’s better to say:
Ton ordinateur est plus lent que le mien.
Your computer is slower than mine.
Instead of saying:
La voiture de Fabienne est plus confortable que la voiture de Julien.
Fabienne’s car is more comfortable than Julien’s car.
It’s better to say:
La voiture de Fabienne est plus confortable que celle de Julien.
Fabienne’s car is more comfortable than Julien’s.
Comparatives of inferiority
In French, we use the comparative “moins que” to express inferiority between two people, two objects, or two situations.For example:
Il est moins patient que sa soeur.
He is less patient than his sister.
Le film était moins intéressant que le documentaire.
The movie was less interesting than the documentary.
Les pommes sont moins sucrées que les poires.
Apples are less sweet than pears.
Just like “plus que”, when comparing two possessions, we usually use possessive pronouns or demonstrative pronouns followed by the preposition “de” to avoid repetition.
Mes affaires sont moins encombrantes que celles de ma soeur.
My things are less cumbersome than my sister’s.
La bague de fiançailles de Rachel est moins chère que la mienne.
Rachel’s engagement ring is less expensive than mine.
Comparatives of equality
To express equality with adjectives, we use “aussi que”.For example:
Ses amis sont aussi drôles qu'elle.
Her friends are as funny as she.
Sa tarte aux pommes est aussi bonne que celle de ma grand-mère.
Her apple pie is as good as my grandmother’s.
Il est aussi dangereux que son père.
He is as dangerous as his father.
La réaction du journaliste était aussi bizarre que celle de l’audience.
The reaction of the journalist was as weird as that of the audience.
Irregular comparatives
Some adjectives don’t use the “plus que” or the “moins que” to express comparison. We call them irregular adjectives.Adjectives | Comparatives of Superiority |
| bon/bonne/bons/bonnes (good) | meilleur/meilleure/meilleurs/meilleures (better) |
| mauvais/mauvaise/mauvaises (bad) | pire (worse than)/ plus mauvais/mauvaise/mauvaises que (worse than) |
| petit/petite/petits/petites (small) | plus petit/petite/petits/petites smaller/moindre (smaller or fewer). |
For example:
L’exposé d’Alexandrine était meilleur que celui de Sébastien.
Alexandrine’s presentation was better than Sébastien’s.
Remember:
The comparative of “mauvais” is generally “pire”, but “plus mauvais” is also correct and tends to be used in a more neutral context. "Pires" is stronger, more direct, and expresses a more emphatic judgment.
Ses notes sont pires que celles de sa soeur.
His grades are worse than his sister’s.
Ses notes sont plus mauvaises que celles de sa soeur.
His grades are worse than his sister’s.
Remember:
In general, we use “plus petit” to express comparison in size, number, or dimension. “Moindre” is usually used to express comparison between abstract nouns. Also, even though “moins petit” is correct, it’s not widely used.
La maison qu’il a achetée est plus petite que celle qu’il a vendue.
The house he bought is smaller than the one he sold.
La valeur nutritive du riz blanc est moindre que celle du riz complet.
The nutritive value of white rice is less than that of brown rice.