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Comparisons and superlatives
- Comparisons of adjectives, adverbs, and nouns
- Comparisons of inequality
- Comparisons of equality
- Superlative degree of comparison
- Return to Adjectives
- Return to Adverbs
Comparisons of adjectives, adverbs, and nouns
Adjectival and adverbial comparisons of inequality (bigger than, harder than, etc. or slower than, faster than, etc.) are quite simple. The few irregularities that exist are very commonly used.
The usual way to express inequality is to place the adverbs
más or menos (which themselves are the
comparative forms of mucho and poco) before the
adjective or adverb.
- Esto es más difícil que eso. (adjective)
- La segunda película es menos interesante que la primera. (adjective)
- Ese hombre corre más despacio que el otro. (adverb)
- Esa canción tiene un ritmo menos rápido que la otra. (adverb)
If one includes más and menos, there are only
eight irregular comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs:
Adjective/Adverb --> Comparative form
- mucho/a --> más (No tengo mucho dinero, pero tengo más que tú.*)
- poco/a --> menos (Tienes pocos problemas, pero tengo menos que tú.)
- bueno/a --> mejor (Casablanca es una película excelente, pero ésta es mejor.)
- malo/a --> peor (Esto es peor que eso.)
- bien --> mejor (Esto funciona mejor que eso.)
- mal --> peor (Esto funciona peor que eso.)
- grande --> mayor** (Mi hermano es mayor que yo.)
- pequeño --> menor** (Mi hermana es menor que yo.)
*If the comparative más is followed by a number, the
word de should replace que. That is, Tengo más de
tres ("I have more than three.").
**Mayor and menor mean "older" and "younger,"
respectively. If one wishes to say "bigger" or "smaller," one uses
más grande or más pequeño.
When one wishes to compare adverbs or adjectives equally a special
syntax is used in Spanish. Some examples in English are: She
learns as quickly as he , They work as much as the managers, She is
as happy as he is, The fish is as expensive as the meat, or
That article is as long as the other one. The formula in
Spanish is tan + adverb / adjective + como, and some examples
are as follow:
- Este lápiz no escribe tan bien como la pluma. (This pencil doesn't write as well as the pen.)
- Pelé corre tan rápidamente como Bruce Jenner. (Pelé runs as fast as Bruce Jenner.)
- Los adjetivos son tan útiles como los adverbios. (Adjectives are as useful as adverbs.)
- La matemática es tan difícil como la física. (Math is as hard as physics.)
- Los caballos son tan bonitos como los gatos. (Horses are as pretty as cats.)
It is also possible to construct comparisons of nouns with the
following formula: tanto (a, os, as) + noun + como. In this
construction it is important to remember that the word tanto
must agree in number and gender with the word that it precedes.
- No tengo tanto dinero como el banco. (I don't have as much money as the bank.)
- No hay tanta atmósfera en la montaña como en el valle. (There isn't as much air on the mountaintop as there is in the valley.)
- Esta comedia no tiene tantos actos como el otro. (This comedy doesn't have as many acts as the other.)
- Hemos tenido tantas experiencias este año como en el año pasado. (We have had as many experiences this year as we did last year.)
Superlative degree of comparison
To form the superlative degree of comparison, e.g. the higest,
the coldest, the most addled, etc. add the appropriate definite
article before the modifier más or menos,
followed by the adjective. If there is an explicit comparison, use
de instead of que or en.
- Esta novela es la más interesante. (This novel is the most interesting.)
- Este plato es el menos caro. (This dish is the least expensive.)
- Estos ejercicios son los más difíciles de todos.* (These exercises are the hardest of all.)
- El elefante es el animal más grande de la
selva.* (The elephant is the biggest animal in the
bush.)
*Note the use of de.
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