French Comparatives: Making Clear Comparisons

Basic Comparative Structures

French uses three main words for comparisons:

• plus... que (more... than)
• moins... que (less... than)
• aussi... que (as... as)

Comparing Quantities

1. "J'ai plus de livres que toi" (I have more books than you)

• Uses "plus de" before noun for quantity comparison

2. "Elle a moins d'argent que lui" (She has less money than him)

• Note "de" changes to "d'" before vowel sounds

Example Patterns:

"plus/moins/aussi + de + noun + que"

Comparing Qualities

1. "Paris est plus grand que Lyon" (Paris is bigger than Lyon)

• Adjective stays unchanged after plus/moins

2. "Cette voiture est aussi rapide que l'autre" (This car is as fast as the other)

• Adjective matches gender/number of subject

Special Cases

1. Bon/Meilleur (Good/Better):

• "Ce restaurant est meilleur que l'autre" (This restaurant is better than the other)
• Doesn't use plus bon

2. Mauvais/Pire (Bad/Worse):

• "Son état est pire qu'hier" (His condition is worse than yesterday)
• Can also use plus mauvais

Common Expressions

1. With Verbs: "Il mange plus que moi" (He eats more than me)

2. With Adverbs: "Elle court plus vite que lui" (She runs faster than him)

Practical Examples

1. Shopping: "Ce sac est moins cher que celui-là" (This bag is less expensive than that one)

2. Food: "Le gâteau est plus sucré que d'habitude" (The cake is sweeter than usual)

Cultural Context

French speakers frequently use comparisons in daily life, from shopping to expressing preferences. Understanding these structures helps in many situations.