Understanding French Comparatives
French comparative adjectives allow you to compare two or more things. There are three types of comparisons:
Superiority: more than (plus...que)
Inferiority: less than (moins...que)
Equality: as...as (aussi...que)
These structures are essential for expressing preferences, making choices, and describing differences.
Examples
Marie est plus grande que Paul. (Marie is taller than Paul.)
Superiority comparison
Ce livre est moins cher que celui-là. (This book is less expensive than that one.)
Inferiority comparison
Elle est aussi intelligente que lui. (She is as intelligent as him.)
Equality comparison
Superiority: Plus...Que (More Than)
To express that something has more of a quality, use plus + adjective + que.
Structure: Subject + verb + plus + adjective + que + comparison
The adjective must still agree with the subject in gender and number.
Plus...Que Formation
Regular formation with plus...que:
Superiority Comparisons
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| plus grand(e) | que | bigger than |
| plus intelligent(e) | que | more intelligent than |
| plus rapide | que | faster than |
| plus intéressant(e) | que | more interesting than |
Examples with Agreement
Notice how adjectives still agree with their subjects:
Marie est plus grande que Paul. (Marie is taller than Paul.)
Feminine subject → grande agrees
Ces voitures sont plus chères que celles-là. (These cars are more expensive than those.)
Feminine plural → chères agrees
Il est plus sympathique que son frère. (He is nicer than his brother.)
Masculine subject → sympathique (same form)
Inferiority: Moins...Que (Less Than)
To express that something has less of a quality, use moins + adjective + que.
Structure: Subject + verb + moins + adjective + que + comparison
This follows the same agreement rules as plus...que.
Examples
Cette voiture est moins chère que l'autre. (This car is less expensive than the other.)
Inferiority with feminine adjective
Il est moins patient que sa sœur. (He is less patient than his sister.)
Inferiority with masculine subject
Ces exercices sont moins difficiles que les autres. (These exercises are less difficult than the others.)
Inferiority with plural
Common Moins...Que Patterns
Frequently used inferiority comparisons:
Inferiority Comparisons
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| moins cher/chère | que | less expensive than |
| moins difficile | que | less difficult than |
| moins important(e) | que | less important than |
| moins populaire | que | less popular than |
Equality: Aussi...Que (As...As)
To express that two things are equal in a quality, use aussi + adjective + que.
Structure: Subject + verb + aussi + adjective + que + comparison
This structure shows that both items have the same degree of the quality.
Examples
Elle est aussi grande que moi. (She is as tall as me.)
Equal height comparison
Ce film est aussi intéressant que le livre. (This movie is as interesting as the book.)
Equal interest level
Ils sont aussi intelligents que nous. (They are as intelligent as us.)
Equal intelligence level
Aussi...Que in Different Contexts
Various uses of equality comparisons:
Physical: Il est aussi fort que son père. (He is as strong as his father.)
Comparing physical qualities
Mental: Elle est aussi créative que lui. (She is as creative as him.)
Comparing mental qualities
General: Cette solution est aussi bonne que l'autre. (This solution is as good as the other.)
Comparing general qualities
Irregular Comparatives
Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms that don't use plus/moins/aussi:
Bon → Meilleur (Good → Better)
The adjective "bon" becomes "meilleur" in comparisons:
Bon → Meilleur
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meilleur | masculine singular | Ce vin est meilleur. (This wine is better.) |
| meilleure | feminine singular | Cette idée est meilleure. (This idea is better.) |
| meilleurs | masculine plural | Ces résultats sont meilleurs. (These results are better.) |
| meilleures | feminine plural | Ces notes sont meilleures. (These grades are better.) |
Mauvais → Pire (Bad → Worse)
The adjective "mauvais" can become "pire" for worse:
Cette situation est pire que l'autre. (This situation is worse than the other.)
Using pire for worse
Alternative: Cette situation est plus mauvaise. (This situation is worse.)
Can also use plus mauvais
Petit → Plus Petit/Moindre
Small has two comparative forms:
Physical size: plus petit(e) que (smaller than)
Il est plus petit que moi. (He is smaller than me.)
Abstract/importance: moindre que (lesser than)
C'est un moindre problème. (It's a lesser problem.)
Comparative Expressions and Idioms
Common expressions using comparative structures:
Examples
de plus en plus (more and more)
Il devient de plus en plus intelligent. (He becomes more and more intelligent.)
de moins en moins (less and less)
Elle est de moins en moins patiente. (She is less and less patient.)
le plus...possible (as...as possible)
Soyez le plus rapide possible. (Be as fast as possible.)
Comparative with Numbers
Using comparatives with quantities:
plus de (more than): plus de dix personnes (more than ten people)
moins de (less than): moins de cinq euros (less than five euros)
autant de (as much/many as): autant de livres que toi (as many books as you)
Equality with quantities
Common Comparative Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make with French comparatives:
1. Wrong irregular forms: Using plus bon instead of meilleur
2. Agreement errors: Forgetting adjective agreement in comparisons
3. Structure confusion: Wrong word order in comparative phrases
4. Quantity vs quality: Confusing plus de with plus...que
Examples
❌ plus bon → ✅ meilleur
Wrong: must use irregular form
❌ Elle est plus grand que lui → ✅ Elle est plus grande que lui
Wrong: adjective must agree with subject
❌ plus que intelligent → ✅ plus intelligent que
Wrong: adjective goes between plus and que
❌ plus que dix → ✅ plus de dix
Wrong: use "de" with numbers