To compare things using adjectives in French, you will use comparative and superlative phrases to express superiority (+), inferiority (-), or equality (=).
French comparatives enable you to compare two or more things and state which one is superior, inferior, or equal.
(+)Le Sahara est plus grand que le désert de Gobi.Translation: The Sahara desert is larger than the Gobi desert.(-)Le Mont Blanc est moins haut que l’Everest.Translation: Mont-Blanc is less high than Everest.(=)Le mois de janvier est aussi long que le mois de mars.Translation: January is as long as March.French superlatives enable you to compare an item in a group and make it stand out as “the most” or “the least.”
Le mandarin est la langue la plus parlée dans le monde.Translation: Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world.
In this post, we’ll review the different comparatives and superlatives used with adjectives in French, along with how to say “worse than” and “the worst” and “better than” and “the best.”
Let’s dive in!
How to use French comparative adjectives?
Use French comparative adjectives to compare two or more items based on their quality. You can state which item is superior, inferior, or equal.
How to express superiority (+) with adjectives in French?
To express superiority with French adjectives, use the comparative phrase plus + adjective + que. With this structure, you can describe something as “more ___ than” something else. Take a look:
adjective
How to express inferiority (-) with adjectives in French?
To express superiority with French adjectives, use the comparative phrase moins + adjective + que. With this structure, you can describe something as “less ___ than” something else. Take a look:
adjective
How to express equality (=) with adjectives in French?
To express equality with French adjectives, use the comparative phrase aussi + adjective + que to say that two items are the same (“as___as”) in a quality.
adjective
How to use French superlative adjectives?
Use superlative adjectives in French to make something or someone stand out in a category. The item you compare is then ranked at the top (the most) or the bottom (the least). Let’s have a look at the structure!
How to express “the most” with adjectives in French?
To express “the most ___” in French, use the phrase le/la/les plus + adjective. If you want to specify what category something or someone is “the most ___” in, you can also add the preposition de + this category after the adjective.
adjective
(de + category)
⤷ Notice: la pièce is feminine singular, so the superlative will be feminine singular (la)
How to express “the least” with adjectives in French?
To express “the least ___” in French, use the phrase le/la/les moins + adjective. Just like with “the most,” you can add the preposition de followed by the category to specify.
adjective
(de + category)
⤷ Notice: quartier is masculine, so use: de + le = du
How to use French superlatives with adjectives that go before the noun?
Most French adjectives go after the noun. However, there is a small group that is placed before the noun, such as petit meaning small, grand meaning big, and jeune meaning young. In these cases, the adjective will still come before the noun, but like other superlatives, it will be placed after le plus meaning the most.
adjective
noun
How to express the “most” or “least” ever in French?
When you want to express something like “the funniest ever!” you’ll need to replace “ever” with a whole sentence, usually: que j’aie jamais + past participle in French
How to use the irregular superlatives ‘meilleur’ and ‘pire’ in French?
The superlatives meilleur meaning better, best and pire meaning worse, worst are the irregular superlative forms of the adjectives bon meaning good and mauvais meaning bad. In English, these adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms too: good → better/best; bad → worse/worst. Let’s check out how these forms work in the comparative and superlative.
To express someone or something is better or the best use: meilleur
bon meaning good (+) meilleurTranslation: betterle meilleurTranslation: the best(-) moins bonTranslation: less goodle moins bonTranslation: the least goodThe comparative is meilleur que meaning better than:
Ton gâteau est meilleur que le mien.Translation: Your cake is better than mine.The superlative is le meilleur de meaning the best of:
C’est la meilleure boulangerie de la ville !Translation: It is the best bakery in town!
To express someone or something is worse or the worst:
mauvais meaning bad (+) pire/plus mauvaisTranslation: worsele pire/plus mauvaisTranslation: the worst(-) moins mauvaisTranslation: less badle moins mauvaisTranslation: the least badFor the comparative you can use: plus mauvais que or pire que meaning worse than
Cette représentation est pire que la première.Translation: This performance is worse than the first.OR
Cette représentation est plus mauvaise que la première.Translation: This performance is worse than the first.To form the superlative use: le pire de meaning the worst of
C’est le pire fromage de la liste.Translation: It is the worst cheese on the menu.
What is the difference between ‘meilleur’ and ‘mieux’ in French?
Meilleur meaning best, better is an adjective (modifying a noun: person, thing, place, idea, etc.) whereas mieux meaning best, better is a French comparative adverb (modifying an action). Because of this, they are used differently:
In brief: Tips to master French comparatives and superlatives
When using comparative and superlative adjectives in French, remember the following tips.
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
plus + adjective + que to express superiority (+)
moins + adjective + que to express inferiority (-)
aussi + adjective + que to express equality (=)
SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES
noun + le plus + adjective (+ de category) to express the highest (+++)
noun + le moins + adjective (+ de category) to express the lowest (---)
Remember that the adjectives beau, joli, petit, grand, gros, nouveau, jeune and vieux go before the noun.
Remember the irregular forms of…
bon:
❌ plus bon → ✅ meilleur❌ le plus bon → ✅le meilleurbien:
❌ plus bien → ✅ mieux❌ le plus bien → ✅le mieux
Use c'est meilleur for food and c'est mieux for anything but food.
And, don't forget to check out our activities to practice French comparative and superlative adjectives!
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