Comparatives and superlatives in Spanish
- Comparativos y superlativos en español
When we compare we are analyzing the similarities and differences of a person, thing or activity, than another.
There are several ways to make comparisons. We can talk about:
- Comparatives of majority and minority
- Comparatives of equality
- Superlatives
- Irregular comparatives and superlatives
If you want to learn how to use comparatives in Spanish, pay attention to the following explanation
Comparatives of majority and minority
To compare characteristics we use the adjectives:
The expressions "más...que" and "menos...que" are used when two people or objects are compared using an adjective.
Yo soy más joven que Mateo.
I am younger than Mateo.
La maleta azul es más cara que la maleta rosa.
The blue suitcase is more expensive than the pink suitcase.
Or since we are comparing two suitcases, so as not to repeat the noun we can say:
La maleta azul es más cara que la rosa.
Su nueva película parece menos divertida que la película anterior. o
Su nueva película parece menos divertida que la anterior.
His new film seems less fun than the last one.
Remember that the adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun. If you have any doubts, you can review the lesson on adjectives in Spanish.
We also use adjectives to compare activities.
En verano, correr es menos agradable que nadar.
In summer, running is less pleasant than swimming.
Quantity comparisons
To compare the quantities we also use the expressions "más...que" and "menos...que" but instead of adjectives we use nouns.
Messi hizo más goles que Cristiano
Messi has scored more goals than Cristiano.
Uruguay tiene menos habitantes que Chile.
Uruguay has fewer inhabitants than Chile.
Comparisons with adverbs
We can also make comparisons using some adverbs. Remember that adverbs do not vary in gender or number.
Yo vivo más cerca de la escuela que tú.
I live closer to the school than you.
Llegaron más temprano que la vez anterior.
They arrived earlier than last time.
Comparatives of equality
An equality comparator compares elements with the same characteristics.
To make this type of comparison, the expression "tan...como" is used. You can use adjectives or adverbs.
La historia es tan interesante como la geografía.
History is as interesting as geography.
Sus compañeros son tan inteligentes como ella.
Her classmates are just as smart as she is.
El nuevo profesor explica tan claramente como el anterior.
The new teacher explains as clearly as the old one.
Comparatives with superlatives
The superlative indicates a high degree of an adjective. An adjective is used in the superlative degree when the characteristic to which it refers is presented in its maximum expression.
There are two types of superlatives in Spanish:
- Relative superlative
- Absolute superlative
Relative superlative
In the relative superlative, an element of a group differs from the others by have a higher rank. It is formed with the structure:
Subject + verb + definite article + más/menos + adjective + de
For example:
Ella es la más linda de la clase.
She is the prettiest in the class.
Aconcagua es la montaña más alta de América.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in America.
Oceanía es el continente menos poblado.
Oceania is the least populated continent.
Absolute superlative
In the absolute superlative, an element has a characteristic to its fullest degree, independent of other elements. The absolute superlative is expressed:
- with adverbs modifying the adjective
- with suffixes and prefixes
Absolute superlative with adverbs
The most common way is to use the adverb of quantity "muy" before the adjective or adverb.
For example:
- Ella es muy linda. - She is very pretty.
- Nuestra cerca está muy cerca - Our house is very close
Absolute superlative with suffixes and prefixes
The most common suffix for absolute superlatives is -ísimo. Must agree in gender and number with the adjective.
Let's see some examples:
- Carlos es inteligentísimo. - Carlos is very intelligent.
- La jirafa es altísima. - The giraffe is very tall.
- Los nuevos teléfonos celulares son carísimos. - The new mobile phones they are very expensive.
- Todas sus películas son aburridísimas. - All of his movies are very boring.
Common prefixes include: extra-, sobre-, super-, hiper-, re-, ultra- o archi-.
Irregular comparatives
Some adjectives have irregular forms for their comparatives and superlatives. The most important cases they are:
Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
Bueno
Mejor que
El / la mejor
Malo
Peor
El / la peor
The words "mejor" and "peor" do not vary with the gender of the noun but must agree with the number (singular/plural).
Su nueva película es mejor que las anteriores.
His new film is better than the previous ones.
Tus calificaciones son peores que las mías.
Your grades are worse than mine.
"El Aleph" es el mejor libro de Jorge Luis Borges.
"El Aleph" is the best book by Jorge Luis Borges.
Argentina sufre la peor sequía de su historia.
Argentina suffers the worst drought in its history.
Exercises
Now is your turn. Write the words in the correct order to form a sentence. Remember to start the sentence with a capital letter and end with a period. Good luck!
Next class