The Comparative in French
The comparative is used to express a higher, lower, or equal degree of a quality or quantity. In French, just like in English, you can say things like taller than, less expensive than, or as interesting as.
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In this article, you'll learn how to form the comparative in French, how to use it with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, and how to say things are equal in quality or quantity. Allons-y !(Let's go!)
Questions This Article Answers
How do you form the comparative in French?
What's the difference between comparative adjectives and adverbs?
How do you say things like as good as or as much as in French?
How to Form the Comparative
In French, the comparative is formed using a comparative word–plus(more), moins(less), aussi(as), or autant(as many, as much)–followed by an adjective, adverb, or noun, and then the word que(than, as).
Let's start with how to use the comparative with adjectives!
The Comparative with Adjectives
Adjectives can be used in the comparative to compare things or people and say that someone or something has more, less, or the same amount of a quality.
For example, you can say:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| plus grand que | taller than |
| moins cher que | less expensive than |
| aussi intelligent que | as intelligent as |
Adjective Agreement
When you want to use the comparative with an adjective, the adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies, which is often the subject.
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Irregular Adjectives in the Comparative
The adjectives bon(good) and mauvais(bad) have irregular comparative forms you'll want to memorize:
Irregular Comparative Forms of Bon
Irregular Comparative Forms of Mauvais
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The Comparative with Adverbs
Adverbs can be used in the comparative to compare verbs, that is, actions. For example, you can say that someone runs faster or works less efficiently than someone else.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| parler plus clairement que | to speak more clearly than |
| travailler moins vite que | to work more slowly than |
| chanter aussi bien que | to sing as well as |
When you want to use the comparative with an adverb, there's no agreement to worry about since adverbs don't have gender or number.
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Irregular Adverbs in the Comparative
The adverbs bien(well) and mal(badly) have irregular comparative forms you'll want to memorize.
The comparative form pis is found mainly in fixed adverbial phrases like aller de mal en pis(to go from bad to worse) or tant pis(too bad). In everyday language, the comparative forms plus mal(worse) or moins bien(literally, less well) are preferred, though the comparative adjective pire is sometimes used in colloquial speech.
The Comparative with Nouns
Nouns can be used in the comparative to compare quantities and say that someone or something has more, less, or as much of something.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| plus de temps que | more time than |
| moins de travail que | less work than |
| autant de devoirs que | as much homework as |
Don't Confuse Aussi ... Que and Autant De ... Que
Use aussi ... que for qualities (adjectives and adverbs) and autant de ... que for quantities (nouns).
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The Comparative with Verbs
Sometimes, you just want to say that someone does something more (or less) than someone else, without comparing any specific quality (like speed or intelligence) or quantity (like money or books). In these cases, you're comparing verbs directly. For example, you could say: She works more than me, They eat less than us, You study as much as I do. In French, the structure is:
Note that there's no de in this structure (like there is when comparing nouns), and no adjective, noun, or adverb separating the comparative word from que. You're comparing the actions themselves.
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Leaving Out Que When It's Understood
No matter which comparative structure you're using (adjective, adverb, noun, or verb), the [que + person or thing being compared to] part of the sentence can be omitted when it's obvious what's being compared.
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A Final Note: The Pronunciation of Plus
You may have noticed that, in the comparative word plus, the final s can be either pronounced or silent. The general rule is that the s in plus is silent before a consonant and pronounced before a vowel and at the end of a group of words. It may also be pronounced in phrases like plus que and plus de.
Learn more about French grammar by reading these articles!
