Making Comparisons in Spanish

Comparatives in English More or –er in English Taller More easily Less in English Less boring Less easily

Now en Español

More/-er than Más + adjective/adverb/noun + que Yo soy más alta que mi amiga. I am taller than my friend. Mi madre es más artistica que mi padre. My mom is more artistic than my dad. Me gusta el café más que el refresco. I like coffee more than soda.

Fewer/Less than Menos + adjective/adverb/noun + que Mi amiga es menos aburrida que yo. My friend is less boring than I (am). Ingles es menos interesante que Español. English is less interesting than Spanish. Me gusta el refresco menos que el jugo. I like soda less than juice.

Same as Tan + adjective/adverb + como Ella es tan alta como su amiga. She is as tall as her friend (is). Jorge y Rosa están tan aburridos como yo. Jorge and Rosa are as bored as I (am). EXCEPT…..when we don’t use an adjective/adverb….

As much as… Tanto + como = as much as Pedro trabaja tanto como ella. Pedro works as much as she (does). Me gusta ingles tanto como la musica. I like English as much as music.

Some Irregulars

Better than… Mejor + que = better than La comida de mi madre es mejor que la comida de mi abuela. My mother’s food is better than my grandma’s food. Juan toca la guitarra mejor que Michael. Juan plays the guitar better than Michael (does).

Worse than… Peor + que = worse than Pedro juega al futbol peor que Juan. Pedro plays soccer worse than Juan (does). La comida de la cafetería es peor que la comida de la casa. The cafeteria food is worse than home- cooked food (is).

Younger vs. Older Mayor + que = older than Jorge es mayor que yo. Jorge is older than I (am). Mi amigo es mayor que su hermana. My friend is older than his sister (is). Menor + que = younger than Soy menor que Jorge. I am younger than Jorge (is). Rosa es menor que su hermano. Rosa is younger than her brother (is).

Time to practice…write a sentence comparing the two items. NO REPEATS La comida italiana y la comida china Los perros y los gatos Tu abuelo y tu abuela La clase de español y la clase de ciencias

Now translate to Spanish please… The gym is bigger than the library. My brother is less athletic than your brother. The Spanish teacher is as nice as the English teacher (is). My daughter is as tall as I am. The Vikings play worse than the Broncos. My aunt is younger than my uncle. I am older than my brother.

And the answers are… El gimnasio es más grande que la biblioteca. Mi hermano es menos interesante que tu hermano. La maestra de español es tan simpatica como la maestra de ingles. Mi hija es tan alta como yo. Los Patriots juegan peor que los Panthers.

Translations to note… Bueno Mejor = better Más bueno = better in a moral sense Malo Peor = worse Más Malo = worse in a moral sense Grande Mayor = bigger, greater or older when referring to age or importance Más grande = bigger, larger or greater in size Pequeño Menor = smaller, younger, or lesser when referring to age or importance Más pequeño = smaller when referring to size