Comparisons of Inequality
If two things are not equal, they are unequal.We are not the same height.In Spanish, inequality is expressed by using one of the following formulae:
You are taller than I.
más (menos) + adjective + que
más (menos) + adverb + que
más (menos) + noun + que
Here are some examples:
- Tú eres más alto que yo.
- You are taller than I.
- Mónica habla más lentamente que Carmen.
- Monica speaks more slowly than Carmen.
- Tengo menos libros que Alberto
- I have fewer books than Albert
Hay menos de veinte alumnos en la clase.
There are less than twenty students in the class.
Él tiene más de noventa años.
He is more than ninety years old. (Literally: He has more than ninety years.)
Note that when the sentence is negative, que is used even with numbers, to convey the meaning "only."
Tengo más de cinco dólares.
(I have more than five dollars.)
but
No tengo más que cinco dólares.
(I only have five dollars.)
Hay más de veinte estudiantes en la clase.
(There are more than twenty students in the class.)
but
No hay más que veinte estudiantes en la clase.
(There are only twenty students in the class.)
Comparisons of Equality
When things being compared have equal characteristics, the comparison of equality is used.The book is as good as the movie.
The boy is as tall as the girl.
To form the comparisons of equality using adjectives or adverbs, use the following formula:
tan + adjective (adverb) + como
El libro es tan bueno como la película.
(The book is as good as the movie.)
El chico es tan alto como la chica.
(The boy is as tall as the girl.)
To form comparisons of equality with nouns, use the following formula:
tanto(-a,-os,-as) + noun + como
Juan tiene tanto dinero como María.
(as much money as)
Él tiene tanta paciencia como ella.
(as much patience as)
Tiene tantos libros como ella.
(as many books as)
Tiene tantas plumas como ella.
(as many pens as)
Choose the form of tanto to agree with the noun it modifies.
tanto dineroWhen actions (not things) are being compared, and there is no adjective, use the following formula:
tanta paciencia
tantos libros
tantas plumas
verb + tanto + como
Sus estudiantes aprenden tanto como mis estudiantes.
(learn as much as)
Rosario cocina tanto como Josefina.
(cooks as much as)
Las naranjas cuestan tanto como las manzanas.When actions (not things) are being compared, and there is an adjective, use the following formula:
(cost as much as)
verb + tan + adjective (masculine form) + como
Aquí se trabaja tan duro como ahí.
(work as hard as)
El niño juega tan poco como la niña.
(plays as little as)
Ellos duermen tan poco como ella.
(sleep as little as)
Irregular Comparatives
The following adjectives have irregular forms for the comparative and the superlative:Adjective: bueno (good)
Comparative: mejor (better)
Superlative: el/la mejor (best)
Adjective: malo (bad)
Comparative: peor (worse)
Superlative: el/la peor (the worst)
Note that the words más and menos are not used with the irregular comparatives.
Correct:
Este libro es bueno, pero ese libro es mejor.
Correct:
Esta película es mala, pero esa película es peor.
With the irregular superlatives, the definite article is used.
- Este libro es bueno.
- This book is good.
- Ese libro es mejor.
- That book is better.
- Aquel libro es el mejor.
- That book over there is the best.
Adjective: grande (big)
Comparative: mayor (older; greater)
Superlative: el/la mayor (the oldest; the greatest)
Adjective: pequeño (small)
Comparative: menor (younger; less)
Superlative: el/la menor (youngest; least)
Note that when referring to size, grande and pequeño follow the normal rules for comparative and superlative forms. That is, they do not use the irregular forms menor and mayor.
- Esta casa es grande.
- This house is big.
- Esa casa es más grande.
- That house is bigger.
- Aquella casa es la más grande.
- That house over there is the biggest.
Juan es menor que María.
Juan is younger than Maria.
María es la mayor de la familia.
Maria is the oldest of the family.
When referring to the concepts "less" or "greater", use the irregular forms mayor and menor.
El agua es de mayor importancia que la comida.
Water is more important than food.
La comida es de menor importancia que el agua.
Food is less important than water.
The words joven and viejo are used for non-comparative descriptions of age.
El niño es joven.
The boy is young.
El abuelo es viejo.
The grandfather is old.
Superlatives
There are two types of superlative: relative and absolute.Relative: John is the smartest boy in the class.
Absolute: John is very smart.
The relative superlative describes a noun within the context of some larger group.
John is the smartest boy in the class.
Mary is the youngest person in the room.
Of the three, Mary is the meanest.
The absolute superlative does not describe the noun in the context of a larger group.
John is very smart.
The book is extremely expensive.
The food is indescribably tasty.
In English, the relative superlative is formed by using the word "most" or the ending "-est."
John is the most intelligent boy in the class.
Mary is the smartest girl in the class.
In Spanish, the relative superlative construction is similar to the comparative.
definite article + noun + más (menos) + adjective + de
Here are some superlative examples.
Juan es el chico más inteligente de la clase.
John is the smartest boy in the class.
Bill Gates es el hombre más rico de los EEUU.
Bill Gates is the richest man in the U.S.
Just like in English, the noun can be omitted. All of the following are correct.
María es la chica más delgada de la clase.
Mary is the thinnest girl in the class.
María es la más delgada de la clase.
Mary is the thinnest in the class.
The absolute superlative for adjectives has three possible forms.
muy + adjective
sumamente + adjective
adjective + ísimo (-a, -os, -as)
The following translations are somewhat arbitrary. Each superlative statement is a little stronger than the one that precedes it.
muy guapo
very handsome
sumamente guapo
extremely handsome
guapísimo
indescribably handsome
