Comparatives in French

We use comparatives to compare objects, places or people. There are three types of comparisons: superiority, equality and inferiority.

Each type of comparative follows a different structure:

Superiority: plus… que (more… than)

Equality: aussi… que (as… as, as much)

Inferiority: moins… que (less… than)

Examples (with adjectives and advebs):

Ta maison est plus ancienne que la mienne. - Your house is older than mine.

Elle court plus vite que son frère. - She runs faster than her brother.

Paul est aussi rapide que Jean. - Paul is as fast as John

Cette voiture roule aussi vite qu’un camion. - This car drives as fast as that truck.

Cette chaise est moins confortable que ce fauteuil. - This chair is less comfortable than this armchair.

Cette sculpture coûte moins cher que ce tableau. This sculpture costs less than this painting.

Remember that adjectives need to agree with the noun they describe, as you can see in our first example above (Ta maison est plus ancienne que la mienne).

On the other hand, adverbs such as vite and cher in the above examples never change form.

For more on comparisons with adjectives and adverbs, check out our blog on the subject.

When comparing verbs, the structure we use changes slightly when talking about equality. Aussineeds to be replaced with autant, as follows:

Elle travaille autant que son mari - She works as much as her husband.

For superiority and inferiority, we still use plus que and moins que.

When comparing nouns, the structures to be used are as follows:

Superiority: plus de

Equality: autant de

Inferiority:moins de

Examples:

J’ai plus de chance que lui. - I am luckier than he is.

Elles ont autant de livres que nous. - They have as many books as we.

Nous avons ramassé moins de pommes que toi. - We picked fewer apples than you did.

Note that some adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparatives.

bon/bonne becomes meilleur/meilleure (better)

mauvais/mauvaise becomes pire

Note that while we never say plus bon/bonne in French, it is acceptable to say plus mauvais/mauvaise instead of pire.

Examples:

Les fruits sont meilleurs pour la santé que les bonbons. - Fruits are better for one’s health than sweets.

Mes notes sont pires que les tiennes/ Mes notes sont plus mauvaises que les tiennes. - My grades are worse than yours.

For more on comparatives, check out Lesson 13.

To learn about complex comparative structures, including expressions that use comparatives, be sure to review Lesson 29.