Introduction
Comparisons are everywhere in conversation: "She's taller than me," "This is the best restaurant," "It's as cheap as the other one." Spanish uses a simple, consistent structure for all of these.
Comparatives: More / Less
más … que (more … than)
- María es más alta que Pedro. — María is taller than Pedro.
- Este libro es más interesante que ese. — This book is more interesting than that one.
menos … que (less … than)
- El gato es menos grande que el perro. — The cat is less big than the dog.
- Hoy estoy menos cansado que ayer. — Today I'm less tired than yesterday.
tan … como (as … as)
- Ella es tan inteligente como su hermano. — She is as smart as her brother.
- No es tan difícil como parece. — It's not as hard as it seems.
tanto/a/os/as … como (as much/many … as)
Use tanto for nouns (it agrees in gender and number):
- Tengo tantos libros como tú. — I have as many books as you.
- No gana tanto dinero como ella. — He doesn't earn as much money as her.
Irregular Comparatives
Some common adjectives have special comparative forms — don't use más with them:
| Adjective | Comparative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bueno (good) | mejor (better) | Este café es mejor. |
| malo (bad) | peor (worse) | El clima está peor hoy. |
| grande (big/old) | mayor (older/greater) | Mi hermano es mayor que yo. |
| pequeño (small/young) | menor (younger/lesser) | Ella es menor que su prima. |
Note: Más grande (bigger in size) and mayor (older in age) coexist. Same for más pequeño (smaller) vs. menor (younger).
Superlatives: The Most / The Least
el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective
- Es la ciudad más grande del país. — It's the biggest city in the country.
- Es el examen menos difícil del semestre. — It's the easiest exam of the semester.
"In" becomes "de" in superlatives: the tallest in the class = el más alto de la clase.
Irregular superlatives
- el/la mejor — the best
- el/la peor — the worst
- el/la mayor — the oldest
- el/la menor — the youngest
Es el mejor restaurante de la ciudad. — It's the best restaurant in the city.
Absolute Superlative (-ísimo)
To say something is extremely / very without comparing, add -ísimo/a/os/as:
- fácil → facilísimo (extremely easy)
- bueno → buenísimo (extremely good)
- grande → grandísimo (extremely big)
- rápido → rapidísimo (extremely fast)
La comida está riquísima. — The food is incredibly delicious.
Practice
How do you say 'Ana is taller than Luis'?
What is the correct comparative of 'bueno'?
'Es el edificio más alto ___ la ciudad.' What goes in the blank?
How do you say 'as many books as you'?