Comparatives
Comparing two nouns
To compare two The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words., use plus … que (more … than), moins … que (less … than) or aussi … que (as … as.) In this context que means ‘than’. For example:
- Mon chat est plus grand que ton chien. – My cat is bigger than your dog.
- Le vélo est beaucoup moins rapide que la voiture. – The bike is much slower (less fast) than the car.
- Les maisons sont aussi belles que les appartements. – The houses are as beautiful as the flats.
‘Better’ and ‘worse’ are Something that does not follow regular patterns and may have a different form.An adjective used to compare two things, eg better, taller, older.. For example:
bon (good) → meilleur (better)
mauvais (bad) → pire (worse)
- Mes notes sont meilleures que l’année dernière. – My grades are better than last year.
- Le temps était pire qu’en Italie. – The weather was worse than in Italy.
Translate these sentences into French.
Question
Books are as interesting as TV.
Les livres sont aussi intéressants que la télé.
Aussi … que means ‘as … as’ and intéressant needs to agree with the noun it describes - les livres (masculine plural).
Question
My (female) cousin is more intelligent than me.
Ma cousine est plus intelligente que moi.
Plus … que means ‘more … than’. The cousin is female so intelligente must end in -e.
Question
London is much bigger than Paris.
Londres est beaucoup plus grand que Paris.
Beaucoup plus … que means ‘much more … than’.
Question
Vegetables are better for your health than hamburgers.
Les légumes sont meilleurs pour la santé que les hamburgers.
Meilleur means ‘better’. Légumes is a masculine plural noun, so meilleurs must end in -s.
