Adjetivos Comparativos
Making Comparisons in Spanish
Spanish comparative adjectives allow us to express differences or similarities between people, objects, or situations. Master the formulas for superiority, inferiority, and equality below.
Regular Comparisons
Más ... que
Superiority (More ... than)
Used to indicate superiority. Place the adjective between más and que.
Este coche es más rápido que aquel.
This car is faster than that one.
María es más inteligente que su hermano.
Maria is more intelligent than her brother.
El libro es más interesante que la película.
The book is more interesting than the movie.
Menos ... que
Inferiority (Less ... than)
Used to indicate inferiority. Place the adjective between menos and que.
Esta casa es menos cara que la otra.
This house is less expensive than the other.
El café es menos fuerte que el té.
Coffee is less strong than tea.
Pedro es menos alto que Juan.
Pedro is less tall (shorter) than Juan.
Tan ... como
Equality (As ... as)
Used to express equality with adjectives. Place the adjective between tan and como.
Ana es tan simpática como su amiga.
Ana is as nice as her friend.
El examen fue tan difícil como el anterior.
The exam was as difficult as the previous one.
La película es tan emocionante como el libro.
The movie is as exciting as the book.
Irregular Comparatives
ImportantSome essential adjectives have their own irregular comparative forms. You do not use más or menos with these.
| Base Adjective | Irregular Comparative | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bueno (good) | Mejor (que) | Better (than) |
| Malo (bad) | Peor (que) | Worse (than) |
| Grande (big / old) | Mayor (que) | Older / Greater (than) |
| Pequeño (small / young) | Menor (que) | Younger / Lesser (than) |
⭐ Mejor que (Better than)
- Este restaurante es mejor que el otro. This restaurant is better than the other one.
- Mi español es mejor que antes. My Spanish is better than before.
- La salud es mejor que la riqueza. Health is better than wealth.
⚠️ Peor que (Worse than)
- El clima hoy está peor que ayer. The weather today is worse than yesterday.
- Esta solución es peor que la anterior. This solution is worse than the previous one.
- Dormir poco es peor que no hacer ejercicio. Sleeping little is worse than not exercising.
Nota Didáctica
Quick Summary
- Más que / Menos que → Comparisons of superiority and inferiority.
- Tan como → Comparisons of equality.
- Mejor que / Peor que → Highly frequent irregular comparatives. Never say "más bueno" or "más malo".