Les superlatifs et les comparatives:

Superlatives and their counterpart’s comparatives are ways to comparisons between things. They

are adverbs that allow you to compare different objects against each other. However, although

they may sound similar and interchangeable, they are not.

Les superlatifs:

Les superlatifs are used when you are trying to show the extremes between different objects or

people. This means les superlatifs are used when you want to show that one item is superior or

inferior to another. There are two ways to express les superlatifs:

Le/la/les plus The most ATTENTION: As you can see, the

definite article must be used when

Le/la/les moins The least
you are using a superlative

When using a superlative, the following format is used:

Le plus/moins + adjective

For example:
Ma voiture est la plus propre.
My car is the cleanest.

As you can see with adjectives, the adjective keeps its place. This is important to remember as

there are certain adjectives that must precede the noun (B.A.G.S. adjectives)
For example:
Il a acheté les plus belles fleurs.
He bought the most beautiful flowers.
Because the adjective used here is belle, it must precede the noun. In contrast, if you were to use

the adjective cher, it would come after the noun.

Exceptions:

When using bon and mauvais, their irregular forms must be used:

Bon/bonne meilleur/meilleure

Mauvais/mauvaise pire

When using these, plus/moins are dropped.

For example:
La pluie est la pire temps.
The rain is the worst weather.

Similarly, when using bien, le mieux is used instead.

Lastly, when expressing either a comparison of quantities, or the extent of a comparison, de must

be used. When using quantities, le is used in every case, no matter the gender.

For example:
Quelle soupe a le moins de légumes ?
Which soup has the fewest vegetables?
Les comparatives:

Les comparatives in contrast are used when you are making a comparison between items. There

are three ways to express comparisons of qualities.

Aussi…que as…as

Plus…que more…than

Moins…que less…than

There are also three ways to compare quantities of nouns.

Autant de…que as much as

Plus de…que more than

Moins de…que less than

Unlike using les superlatifs, a definite article is not used. Instead, que is used. Like les

superlatifs, the same rules for bon and bien must be followed.

For example:
Un vélo est plus écologique qu’une voiture.
A bike is more environmental than a car.
My experience:

The rules for each of these are rather easy to remember, but choosing which one to use is what

proves difficult. Because they seem so similar and that they could be interchangeable, it is easy

to mix up which you use; the superlatives or the comparatives. However, as they are not the

same and are not interchangeable, it is important to remember which one is meant to be used and

what rules are to be followed by each. Similarly, it is important to remember the rules for

bien/bon as it is easy to forget that they must be changed to their irregular forms.

Exercise- Use the correct form of either the superlative or the comparative:

1. Ton frère est ______(older than) ma sœur.

2. La douanier ? Elle est ________ (the most helpful) que j’ai parlé à.

3. C’est le foulard______(the ugliest).

4. Tanya a ________ photos ______Lisa.

5. Je pense le printemps est _____________ (the best) saison.