A Simple Guide to Making Comparisons in Spanish
Want to know how to make comparisons in Spanish? Read this article to find out how to compare in Spanish using comparatives and superlatives.
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ComparativesSuperlativesIrregularMás de/Menos dePhrases that use comparativesQuiz time!Final wordWhen learning a new language, it’s quite important to learn how to compare things. In this blog article, we’ll look at Spanish comparatives and superlatives, learn about making comparisons in Spanish, and also some handy phrases that can be slipped into conversation or writing!
A comparative compares two things, while a relative superlative places something at the top or bottom of a particular group. For example:
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| Bright | Brighter | Brightest |
| Happy | Happier | Happiest |
| Expensive | More expensive | Most expensive |
Comparatives
Let’s start with comparatives—those are the words which often end in –er in English. We need to know how to say that A is ‘more + adjective’ or ‘less + adjective’ than B. The formula is pretty simple. The words for “more” and “less” are:
All you have to do is stick más or menos before the adjective (that’s the word which describes a noun), then add que, meaning ‘than.’
So that’s: más or menos + adjective + que
Let’s look at some examples:
- María is more elegant than Juan.María es más elegante que Juan.
- Ana is less greedy than Ignacio.Ana es menos golosa que Ignacio.
- Your mental health is more important than this exam.Tu salud mental es más importante que este examen.
- The UK is less humid than Thailand.El Reino Unido es menos húmedo que Tailandia.
- The book is funnier (more funny) than the film.El libro es más gracioso que la película.
- Jorge is less grumpy than his twin brother.Jorge es menos gruñón que su gemelo.
This formula also works for adverbs (words which describe verbs), as you can see here:
Superlatives
Superlatives allow us to say that something is ‘the most + adjective’ or ‘the least + adjective.’ All you have to do is add el/la/los/las before más or menos. You choose whichever one matches the noun, and remember to make sure the adjective also agrees with the noun.
Some examples will make it clearer.
- Jason is the funniest (the most funny).Jason es el más gracioso.
- Caitlyn is the least tall.Caitlyn es la menos alta.
- My shoes are the shiniest.Mis zapatos son los más brillantes.
- My female cousins are the least annoying.Mis primas son las menos molestas.
Plural adjectives normally take –s after a vowel and –es after most consonants; spelling and accent changes may also apply.
Irregular
Grande and pequeño normally mean “big/large” and “small/little.” Mayor and menor can compare size, importance or age; for age, they commonly mean “older” and “younger.” For physical size, más grande and más pequeño are also normal.
As usual, you won’t get away with learning Spanish without learning exceptions to the rules! There aren’t too many to learn, but they are really common, so it’s worth taking time to practice them.
Don’t forget, we have these irregularities in English, too! You wouldn’t describe something as ‘gooder’ or ‘badder’ than something else, you’d say ‘better’ or ‘worse.’ The same kinds of words are irregular in Spanish.
- Good (/well*)Bueno/a (/bien*)
- BetterMejor
- BestEl/la mejor
- Bad (/badly*)Malo/a (/mal*)
- WorsePeor
- WorstEl/la peor
*As well as adjectives, you may want to use comparatives and superlatives with adverbs. It’s the difference between “you did a good job” and “you did the job well.”
- Big / largeGrande
- Older / greaterMayor
- Oldest / greatestEl/la mayor
- Small / littlePequeño/a
- Younger / lesserMenor
- Youngest / leastEl/la menor
Más de/Menos de
So far we’ve looked at más and menos with que. There are some occasions when you’ll need to use más de or menos de. This is for when you’re using numbers or quantities.
Phrases that use comparatives
There are several phrases that are super useful to know, and they all involve some form of comparison. Let’s take a look:
*This is legit how Spanish speakers write ‘haha,’ which makes sense, because the Spanish ‘j’ sound is quite like the English ‘h’ sound! Jajaja.
Quiz time!
What ~better~ way to finish off than to have a little practice?! Use the guide above to help you translate the following sentences from Spanish into English. If you’re feeling daring, try and translate the English phrases into Spanish, too!
In case you need it, this glossary has some of the words used in the context of the quiz!
- there is/there arehay
- adultslos adultos
- childrenlos niños
- I havetengo
- moneydinero
- than youque tú
- dancesbaila
- beautifullyhermosamente
- I go outsalgo
- frequentlyfrecuentemente
- bravevaliente
- selfishegoísta
- butpero
- husbandmarido
- wasfue
- a dayun día
- I singyo canto
- than herque ella
- my brothermi hermano
- than meque yo
- I wantquiero
- to see youverte
- I sawvi
- carscoches
- stubbornterco/a
- your dadtu papá
- housela casa
- readylisto/a
- examexamen
- to spendgastar
- than himque él
- I understandentiendo
1. Hay más adultos* que niños.
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There are more adults than children.
*Note that we can use comparatives with nouns, too!
2. Tengo menos dinero que tú.
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I have less money than you.
3. Carolina baila más hermosamente que Juana.
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Carolina dances more beautifully than Juana.
4. Salgo menos frecuentemente que mi gemelo.
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I go out less frequently than my twin.
5. Clara es la más valiente.
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Clara is the bravest.
6. Miguel es el menos egoísta.
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Miguel is the least selfish.
7. Soy una persona buena, pero mi marido es mejor.
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I am a good person, but my husband is better.
8. Ayer fue un día malo. Hoy fue peor.
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Yesterday was a bad day. Today was worse.
9. Yo canto mejor que ella.
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I sing better than her.
10. Mi hermano es mayor que yo.
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My brother is older than me.
11. Más que nada, quiero verte.
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More than anything else, I want to see you.
12. Vi más de 150 coches.
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I saw more than 150 cars.
13. Juanca es menor que yo.
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Juanca is younger than me.
14. Eres tan terco como tu papá.
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You’re as stubborn as your dad.
15. Es cada vez más difícil.
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It gets more and more difficult.
16. La casa está más o menos lista.
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The house is more or less ready.
17. ¡Qué examen más difícil!
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What a difficult exam!
BONUS QUESTIONS:
18. Pedro dances more often than Laura.
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Pedro baila más frecuentemente que Laura.
19. I want to spend as much as possible.
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Quiero gastar lo más posible.
20. Cristina is more important than him.
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Cristina es más importante que él.
I understand Spanish better.
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Entiendo mejor el español.
Well done for getting through the quiz; there were some tough ones in there!
Final word
Hopefully this has given you a solid basis for making comparisons in Spanish. Remember to make a daily learning habit—practice a little every day, and you should see your Spanish going de bien en mejor!
