Comparative

Overview
Adjectives
In general, there are three ways to compare nouns: the comparison of equality (as…as),
the comparison of inequality (more/less than), and the superlative (the most/least). This
reference describes the first two forms of comparisons, how to form them, and when to
use them.

Comparison of Equality
To say that two nouns are equal, the following formula is used:
Equality Formula
Subject + verb + tan + adjective + como + the other subject of comparison
(as...as) The adjective must match the first noun as it is the subject of the comparison.
Ejemplo:
 Sara es tan alta como tu hermano. (Sara is as tall as your brother.)
 Tu coche es tan rápido como su coche. (Your car is as fast as his car.)

Comparison of Inequality
1. To compare two nouns as being different from one another, the following formulas
are used:

Inequality Formula

más + adjective + que (more. . .than) OR

menos + adjective + que (less. . .than) The adjective must match the first noun
as it is the subject of the comparison.

Ejemplo:
 Samuel es más artístico que ella. (Samuel is more artistic than her.)
 Ella es menos artística que Samuel. (She is less artistic than Samuel.)
 Una casa es más cara que un coche. (A house is more expensive than a car.)
 Un coche es menos caro que una casa. (A car is less expensive than a house.)
2. You can also compare the inequality of two nouns by negating the comparison of
equality:

Negation Formula
Subject + no + verb + tan + adjective + como + the other subject of comparison
(not as ... as)
 Pedro no es tan alto como su hermano. (Pedro is not as tall as his brother.)
 Tu coche no es tan rápido como su coche. (Your car is not as fast as his car.)

Exceptions
There are a few adjectives that can compare nouns without the use of the formulas
above. With these adjectives, you do NOT need to use más or menos. The adjective
itself is a comparison word and only needs que afterwards to mean "than."

One Word Comparisons

mejor better
peor worse
mayor larger
mayor older
menor younger

 Soy mayor que mi hermana. (I am older than my sister.)

 Esta pizza es mejor que esa pizza. (This pizza is better than that pizza.)
 La segunda película es peor que la primera. (The second movie is worse than
the first.)