To make more advanced comparisons in French, you can make comparative and superlative phrases with adverbs, verbs, and nouns. Previously, we’ve seen how you can make comparisons between qualities using comparative and superlative adjectives in French. But comparative and superlative phrases can also be used to compare how something is done (with adverbs), what two entities do (with verbs), or what two entities have (with nouns).
For example, if we take the adverb “slowly,” its comparative forms would be “more/less slowly than” or “as slowly as.”
Or we can also make a superlative using an adverb like “quietly,” where the superlative forms would be “the most/least quietly.”
In this post, we’ll review how to use comparatives and superlatives with adverbs (including how to say “the best” and “the worst”), verbs, and nouns. Ready to find out more? Let’s dive in!
How to compare adverbs, verbs, and nouns in French?
You can compare adverbs, verbs, and nouns in French using comparative and superlative phrases similar to those you use with adjectives. Let’s see some examples in English first:
When comparing adverbs, you compare how something is done (e.g. “more quickly” vs. “less quickly”).
With verbs, you can make comparisons to talk about “how much” two or more entities do something (e.g. “he ran more” or “he ran less”).
Comparisons can also be made with nouns to compare quantities (e.g. “more cake” or “less cake”). Let’s look at adverbs first.
Now let’s take a look at how to compare adverbs in French!
How to compare how something is done with adverbs in French?
To compare how something is done in French, you can use comparative and superlative expressions with adverbs. Let’s look at comparative adverbs first:
When you want to make a comparison between the way that different people do the same thing (e.g. more quickly (+), less quickly (-), as quickly (=)), you'll use the formula below:
verb
plus (+),
moins(-),
or
aussi(=)adverb
que + compared element (optional)
Elle nage plus vite que moi.Translation: She swims faster than me.Un bison vit moins longtemps qu'un ours.Translation: A bison lives less long than a bear.Justine travaille aussi dur que Marion.Translation: Justine works as hard as Marion.You can also use superlative adverbs formed with le plus meaning the most and le moins meaning the least to compare how things are done, for instance le plus vite meaning the fastest or le moins souvent meaning the least frequently. When you want to state someone is doing something the best or the worst way possible, you’ll use the formula below:
verb
le plus (+)
or
le moins (-)adverb
de + category
or
possible
(optional)Ils travaillent le plus efficacement de tout le personnel.Translation: They work the most efficiently of all the staff.Ils travaillent le moins efficacement possible.Translation: They work the least efficiently possible.
Now let’s take a look at how to form comparisons with verbs.
How to compare what two or more entities do with verbs in French?
To compare what two or more entities do with in French, you will use comparative and superlative phrases with verbs. We’ll start with comparatives with verbs!
When you want to say that someone does something more, less, or as much as someone else does, you need to use the formula below:
verb
plus (+)
or
moins (-)
or
autant (=)que + compared element
(optional)Il travaillent plus que Pierre.Translation: He works more than Pierre.Ils voyagent moins que nous.Translation: They travel less than us.Mon coloc fait le ménage autant qe moi.Translation: My housemate cleans as much as I (do).In the previous examples we compared who did something more, less, or as much as, compared to another person. You can also compare how much one activity (verb) is done to how much another activity is done:
Il parle plus qu’il n’écoute.Translation: He talks more than he listens.You can also compare how much you do an activity at one time, to how much you do it at another time, usually in the past:
On sort plus en ce moment.Translation: We go out more at the moment. ( ... compared to at some other time)You can also use superlatives with verbs in French if you want to talk about who does something the most (le plus) or the least (le moins). Le plus or le moins will always come after the verb.
verb
le plus (+)
or
le moins (-)Je m’entraîne le plus dans l’équipe.Translation: I practice the most on the team.Ce bébé pleure le moins des enfants.Translation: This baby cries the least of the children.Often, you will hear C’est…qui to highlight who is doing something the best or worst (although it can also be used with comparative expressions).
C’est moi qui parle le plus.Translation: I do speak the most.
How to compare the amount of something people have in French?
To compare what two or more entities do with in French, you will use comparative and superlative phrases with verbs. We’ll start with comparatives with verbs!
When you want to compare the quantity of a noun that two individuals have, use the comparatives plus, moins, or autant with de as in the following formula:
verb
plus de (+)
or
moins de (-)
or
autant de (=)noun
que + compared element
(optional)Elle a plus de problèmes que Pierre.Translation: She has more problems than Pierre.Il a reçu autant de cadeaux que toi.Translation: He's received as many gifts as you.The above examples compare how much two different people have of the same thing, but you can also make a comparison between how much the same person has of one thing at two different times:
Elle a plus de collègues que d’habitude.Translation: She has more coworkers than usual.Additionally, you can compare how much one person has of one thing to how much they have of another thing:
Ils ont moins de livres que de DVD.Translation: They have fewer books than DVDs.With the superlative phrases le plus de and le moins de, you can also discuss who or what has the most or least quantity of a noun.
verb
le plus de (+)
le moins de(-)noun
Mon professeur nous assigne le plus de devoirs.Translation: My teacher assigns us the most homework.
What are the irregular comparative and superlative adverbs in French?
The irregular comparative and superlative adverbs in French for the adverbs bien meaning well and mal meaning badly are mieux meaning better,le mieux meaning the best,pis meaning worse, and le pis meaning the worst.
The adverb mal meaning badly has the irregular forms: pis meaning worse and le pis meaning the worst, but these are only used in fixed expressions like:
Note that mal meaning badly also has a regular form: plus mal meaning worse and le plus mal meaning the worst.
You can also use the following expressions to show satisfaction or disappointment respectively.
Let’s review what we’ve learned!
In brief: Tips to master French comparatives and superlatives
COMPARISONS to express superiority, inferiority, equality:
plus, moins, aussi + adverb (+ que)
verb + plus, moins, autant (+ que)
plus de, moins de, autant de + noun (+ que)
SUPERLATIVE to express the highest or the lowest:
verb + le plus, le moins + adverb (+ de category)
verb + plus, moins, autant (+ que)
verb + le plus de / le moins de + noun
Remember the irregular forms of bien:
❌ plus bien→ ✅ mieux
❌ le plus bien→ ✅ le mieux
Pronunciation of plus:
Pronounce the final -s as a "z" in front of an adverb starting with a vowel, as a "whistling s" when it's on its own. Do not pronounce it otherwise!
Ready to practice? Put your new skills to the test with these activities on forming comparisons with adverbs, verbs, and nouns in French!these activities on forming comparisons with adverbs, verbs, and nouns in French!
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