Comparatives

Comparatives allow us to compare two things — to say that something is more, less, or equally [adjective] compared to something else. In English, we say "taller than," "less expensive than," or "as interesting as." Spanish has clear, consistent structures for all three types of comparison.

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Más... que (More... than)

The most common comparative structure. It is used for superiority — saying something has more of a quality than something else.

Structure: Subject + verb + más + adjective + que + comparison

Spanish	English
María es más alta que Pedro.	María is taller than Pedro.
Este libro es más interesante que ese.	This book is more interesting than that one.
Mi casa es más grande que tu casa.	My house is bigger than your house.
El español es más fácil que el chino.	Spanish is easier than Chinese.

More Examples

• El verano es más caluroso que la primavera. (Summer is hotter than spring.)
• Los gatos son más independientes que los perros. (Cats are more independent than dogs.)
• Esta película es más aburrida que la otra. (This film is more boring than the other one.)
• Mi hermano es más trabajador que yo. (My brother is more hard-working than me.)
• El tren es más rápido que el autobús. (The train is faster than the bus.)
• Esta calle es más estrecha que la avenida principal. (This street is narrower than the main avenue.)

Note: Unlike English, Spanish never changes the adjective form for comparisons. There is no equivalent of adding "-er" (taller, bigger). You always use más + adjective.

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Menos... que (Less... than)

This structure expresses inferiority — saying something has less of a quality.

Structure: Subject + verb + menos + adjective + que + comparison

Spanish	English
Pedro es menos alto que María.	Pedro is less tall than María.
Este examen es menos difícil que el anterior.	This exam is less difficult than the previous one.
El campo es menos ruidoso que la ciudad.	The countryside is less noisy than the city.

More Examples

• Esta película es menos interesante que el libro. (This film is less interesting than the book.)
• Mi coche es menos caro que el tuyo. (My car is less expensive than yours.)
• Hoy estoy menos cansado que ayer. (Today I am less tired than yesterday.)
• El invierno es menos agradable que el otoño. (Winter is less pleasant than autumn.)

Tip: In everyday speech, Spanish speakers often prefer using más + opposite adjective rather than menos + adjective. Instead of "menos alto" (less tall), they would typically say "más bajo" (shorter). However, both structures are grammatically correct.

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Tan... como (As... as)

This structure expresses equality — saying two things have the same amount of a quality.

Structure: Subject + verb + tan + adjective + como + comparison

Spanish	English
María es tan alta como Pedro.	María is as tall as Pedro.
Este libro es tan interesante como ese.	This book is as interesting as that one.
Mi casa es tan grande como la tuya.	My house is as big as yours.

More Examples

• El español es tan bonito como el italiano. (Spanish is as beautiful as Italian.)
• Mi hermano es tan inteligente como mi hermana. (My brother is as intelligent as my sister.)
• Esta ciudad es tan limpia como la otra. (This city is as clean as the other one.)
• No soy tan joven como tú. (I am not as young as you.)

Negative Equality

To say "not as... as," simply add no before the verb:

• Pedro no es tan alto como María. (Pedro is not as tall as María.)
• Esta película no es tan buena como la original. (This film is not as good as the original.)

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Irregular Comparatives

Some very common adjectives have irregular comparative forms — they do not use "más" or "menos":