A2 · Elementary

Comparatives and superlatives

Compare with más/menos... que, tan/tanto... como and learn the irregular forms and -ísimo.

Comparing: more/less/as... than/as

  • más ... que = more ... than
  • menos ... que = less ... than
  • tan ... como = as ... as (with an adjective or adverb)

Examples

Mi hermano es más alto que yo.My brother is taller than me.
Este libro es menos interesante que el otro.This book is less interesting than the other.
Ella es tan inteligente como su hermana.She is as smart as her sister.

Tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + como

To compare quantities you use tanto + noun + como. Tanto agrees in gender and number: tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas.

Examples

Tengo tantos libros como tú.I have as many books as you.
No bebo tanta agua como debería.I don't drink as much water as I should.

Irregular forms

Several common adjectives have an irregular comparative without más. Mayor/menor are mostly used for age; for size, everyday speech often uses más grande/más pequeño.

adjectiefcomparatief
buenomejor
malopeor
grandemayor
pequeñomenor
muchomás
pocomenos

Examples

Este restaurante es mejor que aquel.This restaurant is better than that one.
Soy mayor que mi hermano.I am older than my brother.

Superlative: el/la/los/las más... & -ísimo

The relative superlative compares within a group: el/la/los/las (+ noun) + más/menos + adjective (+ de ...).

The absolute superlative (without comparison) is formed by adding -ísimo/-ísima to the adjective (drop the final vowel, spelling changes c→qu, g→gu, z→c).

Examples

Es la ciudad más bonita de España.It's the most beautiful city in Spain.
Este examen es facilísimo.This exam is very easy.
Estoy contentísima con el resultado.I'm very happy with the result.

💡 Tips

💡
'que' after más/menos, but 'como' after tan/tanto — don't mix them up!
💡
mejor/peor/mayor/menor don't change form (never más bueno).
💡
-ísimo is a strong superlative without 'muy': buenísimo = extremely good.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

← Reflexive verbsEstar + gerund →

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