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French 2 Unit 9: Comparisons and Superlatives

Comparisons say that something is more, less or as much as something else, and superlatives say it is the most or the least. The patterns are short, but adjective agreement, bon/bien and superlative word order are classic test traps.

Covers: Comparing adjectives and adverbs (plus, moins, aussi), Comparing nouns (plus de, moins de, autant de), Comparing verbs (plus que, autant que), Irregular forms: meilleur, mieux, pire, Superlatives of adjectives and position, Superlatives of adverbs and nouns, Stressed pronouns after que

Study guide

To compare adjectives and adverbs, French uses three frames: plus ... que (more ... than), moins ... que (less ... than) and aussi ... que (as ... as). Marie est plus grande que Paul. Ce film est moins intéressant que le livre. Il court aussi vite que son frère. The adjective still agrees with the noun it describes: Mes sœurs sont plus âgées que moi. After que, use a stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles), never a subject pronoun: plus grand que lui, not *que il.

To compare quantities of nouns, use plus de, moins de and autant de (as much, as many) before the noun, then que: J'ai plus de livres que toi. Elle a moins de temps que nous. Nous avons autant de devoirs qu'eux. De stays de even before a plural noun, and becomes d' before a vowel. To compare actions, put plus que, moins que or autant que after the verb: Il travaille plus que moi. Je dors autant que mon chat. Before a number, use plus de and moins de: Il y a plus de vingt élèves.

Two comparisons are irregular. Bon (good, an adjective) becomes meilleur (better), which agrees like any adjective: meilleur, meilleure, meilleurs, meilleures. Ce gâteau est meilleur que l'autre. Bien (well, an adverb) becomes mieux (better), which never agrees: Elle chante mieux que moi. To choose, ask whether "good" describes a noun (meilleur) or "well" describes a verb (mieux). Mauvais (bad) has two forms: plus mauvais or pire (worse). Aussi bon que and moins bon que are regular. Never say *plus bon or *plus bien.

The superlative (the most, the least) uses le, la or les + plus or moins + adjective. The article and adjective agree with the noun: le plus grand, la plus grande, les plus grands. Position follows the adjective's normal place. For adjectives that come before the noun (beau, grand, petit, bon, jeune): C'est la plus belle ville. For adjectives that come after (intéressant, difficile, cher): C'est la ville la plus intéressante, with the article repeated. To say "in" or "of" after a superlative, French uses de: le plus grand pays du monde, l'élève le plus sérieux de la classe.

The superlative of bon is le meilleur (the best), agreeing with the noun: la meilleure pizza de la ville. The superlative of bien is le mieux, and it is invariable: C'est Léa qui danse le mieux. For bad, use le pire or le plus mauvais. With adverbs, the article is always le: Elle parle le plus vite. With nouns, use le plus de or le moins de: C'est Marc qui a le plus d'amis. Superlatives are often followed by de + a group, and comparisons can use stressed pronouns: C'est lui le plus fort de nous tous.

Key ideas

• Plus, moins and aussi + adjective or adverb + que compare qualities.
• Plus de, moins de and autant de + noun + que compare quantities.
• Verb + plus que, moins que or autant que compares actions.
• Bon → meilleur (agrees); bien → mieux (never agrees).
• Superlatives use le/la/les + plus/moins + adjective, with agreement.
• Adjectives placed after the noun repeat the article in the superlative: la ville la plus chère.
• After a superlative, "in" or "of" is de: le plus haut du monde.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Saying *plus bon or *plus bien instead of meilleur or mieux.
• Mixing meilleur and mieux, as in *Il chante meilleur que moi.
• Forgetting agreement, as in *Elle est plus grand que lui.
• Using dans for "in" after a superlative, as in *le plus grand dans le monde instead of du monde.
• Dropping the second article with after-noun adjectives, as in *la ville plus chère.

Before the test, make sure you can

• Compare adjectives and adverbs with plus, moins and aussi.
• Compare quantities with plus de, moins de and autant de.
• Compare actions with verb + plus que, moins que or autant que.
• Choose correctly between meilleur and mieux.
• Form superlatives with correct article, agreement and position.
• Use de after a superlative to mean "in" or "of."
• Use stressed pronouns after que.
• Interpret comparisons described in a sentence of data.

Words to know

plus

more

moins

less

aussi

as

autant

as much

meilleur(e)

better

mieux

better (adverb)

pire

worse

âgé(e)

old

jeune

young

fort(e)

strong

drôle

funny

sérieux / sérieuse

serious

paresseux / paresseuse

lazy

cher / chère

expensive

bon marché

cheap

peuplé(e)

populated

haut(e)

high, tall

célèbre

famous

animé(e)

lively

Sample practice questions

30 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.