Comparatives and Superlatives
| aussi (adj or adv) que | as (adj or adv) as |
| moins (adj or adv) que | less (adj or adv) than |
| plus (adj or adv) que | more (adj or adv) than |
| plus de (noun) que | more (noun) than |
| autant de (noun) que | as many (noun) as |
| moins de (noun) que | less (noun) than |
There are some irregularities among bon and bien. Bon is an
adjective meaning good, but plus bon is not used (just as more good
or gooder is not used in English) so meilleur is used to mean better.
Bien is an adverb meaning well, but plus bien is not used either.
Mieux is used instead.
| She is taller than Colette. | Elle est plus grande que Colette. |
| I am smarter than you. | Je suis plus intelligente que toi. |
| Peter runs less quickly than me. | Pierre court moins rapide que moi. |
| The kitchen is as big as the living room. | La cuisine est aussi grande que le salon. |
| I have more books than she. | J'ai plus de livres qu'elle. |
| We have as many cars as he. | Nous avons autant de voitures que lui. |
Verbs can also be compared with plus/aussi/moins (+ que):
Il travaille moins qu'elle. He works less than she.
Ils dorment plus. They sleep more.
Superlatives
Simply add le, la or les before the comparative if you are using an adjective.
With adverbs, always use le. After a superlative, de is
used to mean in. If the adjective follows the noun, the superlative
follows the noun also, surrounding the adjective.
| It's the biggest city in the world. | C'est la plus grande ville du monde. |
| She is the most beautiful woman in this room. | Elle est la plus belle femme de cette salle. |
| This neighborhood is the least expensive in Paris. | Ce quartier est le moins cher de Paris. |
| It's the most dreaded punishment in the world. | C'est la punition la plus redoutable du monde. |
| She works the most courageously of everyone. | Elle travaille le plus courageusement de tous. |
In French, you don't use any articles, as compared to English:
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Themore things change, themore they stay
the same.
This article was used with permission from:
Indo-European Languages