Comparisons: más, menos, tan
Bigger, cheaper, as good as: three small patterns and four irregular words cover almost every comparison.
Theory
más / menos … que for unequal things; tan … como for equal ones.
The patterns
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| más … que | Madrid es más grande que Toledo. | Madrid is bigger than Toledo. |
| menos … que | El tren es menos caro que el avión. | The train is cheaper than the plane. |
| tan … como | Ana es tan alta como Luis. | Ana is as tall as Luis. |
| tanto/a/os/as … como | Tengo tantos amigos como tú. | I have as many friends as you. |
| verb + más que | Trabajo más que tú. | I work more than you. |
Irregular forms
| From | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| bueno → mejor | Este café es mejor. | This coffee is better. |
| malo → peor | El tiempo es peor hoy. | The weather is worse today. |
| old → mayor | Mi hermana es mayor que yo. | My sister is older than me. |
| young → menor | Soy menor que él. | I’m younger than him. |
que, not de
más alto que yo = taller than me
…except with numbers:
más de cien = more than a hundred
tan + adjective, tanto + noun
tan + adjective:
tan rápido = as fast
tanto + noun:
tanto dinero, tantas casas = as much money, as many houses
No más with mejor
mejor = better
Not más mejor or más bueno
After que: yo, tú
Es más alto que yo. = He’s taller than me.
Not que mí.
mayor for age
mayor = older
menor = younger
más grande = bigger
Adverbs too
Habla más despacio que yo. = He / She speaks more slowly than me.
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