comparitif et superlatif

difference in adverbs and adjectives (compartif & superlatif forms)

bien = good (adv), mieux = better (adv)

  1. Marc travaille bien mais Anna travaille mieux.

    (Marc works well, but Anna works better.)

bon.ne.s = good (adj), meilleur.s.e.es (adv) = better

mauvais.e.es = bad (adj), pire (adv) = worse

when expressing that something is the best or the worst (in a more absolute sense), these adverbs receive a definite article.

le meilleur / la meilleure / les meilleurs / les meilleures = the best

le pire / la pire / les pires = the worst

phrases

plus...que = more than (adjective or adverb)

Exemples :

  1. Le château est plus grand que la maison.

    (The castle is larger than the house.)

  2. Le château est plus cher que la cabane.

    (The castle is more expensive than the cabin.)

  3. *La cabane est plus petite que le château.

    (The cabin is smaller than the castle.) - here “more than“ acts as “smaller than”. we can think of it as “more small than“

  4. Elle est plus sportive que lui.

    (She is more athletic than him.)

  5. Pierre conduit plus rapidement que Madame Juliot.

    (Pierre drives faster than Madame Juliot.)

  6. Le camion a plus de roues que la voiture.

    (The truck has more wheels than the car.)

  7. *Paul mange beaucoup mais Carla mange plus que lui.

    (Paul eats a lot but Carla eats more than him.) - note that here, due to word order conventions, plus que are joint, rather than separated by a descriptor or object.

moins...que = less than (adjective or adverb)

Exemples :

  1. Le lézard est moins féroce que le crocodile.

    (The lizard is less ferocious than the crocodile.)

  2. *Il est moins sportif qu'elle.

    (He is less athletic than her.) - note that here because que is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, we write qu’. this is standard.

  3. Patricia écoute moins attentivement que Caroline

    (Patricia listens less attentively than Caroline.)

  4. Sébastien a moins d'argent que Luc.

    (Sebastien has less money than Luke.)

aussi...que = equal to (adjective or adverb)

Exemples :

  1. Pierre est aussi intelligent que Marie.

    (Pierre is as intelligent as Mary.)

  2. Claire dort aussi profondément que Luc.

    (Claire sleeps as deeply as Luke.)

autant…que = as much as

  1. *Les hommes aiment le shopping autant que les femmes.

    (Men love shopping as much as women.) - similar to a previous example with plus que, due to word order conventions autant que is joint, rather than separated.

  2. Claire a autant d'argent que Sophie.

    (Claire has as much money as Sophie.)