Comparing is one of the most useful things you can do in any language: this phone is lighter than that one, my sister is as tall as me, the bus is cheaper than a taxi, this is the best pizza in town. English builds comparisons in two ways — adding -er and -est (taller, tallest) or using more and most (more interesting, most interesting). French is simpler: it never changes the adjective's ending to compare. Instead it puts a word in front — plus (more), moins (less) or aussi (as) — and links the two things with que (than, as). The adjective still behaves like any adjective: it agrees with the noun it describes. There is one important exception, good and well, which change form just like English better and best.
| Structure | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| plus + adjective + que | more … than, -er than | Léa est plus grande que Marc. | Léa is taller than Marc. |
| moins + adjective + que | less … than | Le métro est moins cher que le taxi. | The subway is less expensive than a taxi. |
| aussi + adjective + que | as … as | Mon frère est aussi sportif que moi. | My brother is as athletic as me. |
Comparing actions and amounts
| What you compare | Structure | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| How someone does something (adverb) | plus / moins / aussi + adverb + que | Elle court plus vite que moi. | She runs faster than me. |
| How much someone does something (verb) | verb + plus / moins / autant + que | Je lis plus que mon frère. | I read more than my brother. |
| Amounts of a thing (noun) | plus de / moins de / autant de + noun + que | J'ai plus de devoirs que toi. | I have more homework than you. |
The superlative: the most, the least
To say the tallest or the least expensive, put le, la or les in front of plus or moins. The article agrees with the noun, and so does the adjective. Position follows the normal adjective rule. A BAGS adjective stays before the noun: la plus grande ville (the biggest city). Any other adjective stays after the noun, and then the article appears twice: le film le plus intéressant (the most interesting film), la matière la moins difficile (the least difficult subject). To say in or of after a superlative, French uses de (with its contractions): Toronto est la plus grande ville du Canada (Toronto is the biggest city in Canada), l'élève le plus grand de la classe (the tallest student in the class).
Good and well: meilleur and mieux
| Basic form | Comparative (better) | Superlative (the best) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| good (adjective, describes a noun) | bon, bonne, bons, bonnes | meilleur, meilleure, meilleurs, meilleures | le meilleur, la meilleure, les meilleurs, les meilleures |
| well (adverb, describes a verb) | bien | mieux | le mieux |
- Ce café est meilleur que l'autre. — This coffee is better than the other one.
- Ta recette est meilleure. — Your recipe is better.
- C'est le meilleur restaurant de la ville. — It's the best restaurant in town.
- Elle chante mieux que moi. — She sings better than me.
- Je dors mieux la fin de semaine. — I sleep better on the weekend.
- C'est Léo qui joue le mieux. — Léo is the one who plays best.
Translation: Nova 8 or Nova 9? Here is my opinion. The Nova 9 is lighter than the Nova 8, but its screen is smaller (less big). For speed, the two phones are equally fast. The Nova 9's photos are better, especially in the evening. On the other hand, the Nova 8's battery lasts longer, and it costs a hundred dollars less. For me, the Nova 9 works better, but the Nova 8 is the best choice for a small budget. Notice how the writer chooses: meilleures describes the noun photos (feminine plural, so it agrees), while mieux describes the verb fonctionne. Notice too that French often says moins grand (less big) where English would say smaller.