Comparing things is a fundamental part of communication, and Spanish offers a rich toolkit for expressing comparisons. Just like in English, whether you’re saying someone is taller, faster, or just as intelligent, Spanish has specific structures to help you articulate these nuances. This guide will walk you through the essentials of Comparing In Spanish, covering comparisons of inequality, equality, and superlatives, ensuring you can confidently express yourself in any comparative situation.
Comparisons of Inequality: More Than, Less Than
When you want to say something is “more than” or “less than” something else, you’re making a comparison of inequality. In Spanish, the basic structure for this is straightforward:
más / menos + adjective / adverb / noun + que
Let’s break this down with examples:
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Using Adjectives: To compare qualities using adjectives, place “más” (more) or “menos” (less) before the adjective, followed by “que” (than).
- Luke es más grande que su hermano. (Luke is taller than his brother.) – Here, we use “más grande” (taller) to compare Luke’s height to his brother’s.
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Using Adverbs: When comparing actions or how things are done using adverbs, the structure remains the same.
- Mi amiga Helena habla más alto que yo. (My friend Helena speaks more loudly than me.) – We use “más alto” (more loudly) to compare Helena’s speaking volume to the speaker’s.
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Using Nouns: You can also compare quantities of nouns using “más” or “menos.”
- Pablo y Rodrigo tienen más amigos que Ricardo. (Pablo and Rodrigo have more friends than Ricardo.) – “Más amigos” (more friends) compares the number of friends Pablo and Rodrigo have to Ricardo’s.
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Expressing “Less Than”: To say “less than,” simply substitute “más” with “menos.”
- Lucía es menos alegre que Carmen. (Lucía is less happy than Carmen.) – “Menos alegre” (less happy) compares Lucía’s happiness to Carmen’s.
Special Case with Numbers: Using DE vs. QUE
When comparing quantities with numbers, Spanish uses a slight variation:
más / menos + DE + number
- Elsa tiene más de 20 primos. (Elsa has more than 20 cousins.) – “Más de 20” (more than 20) is used before the number of cousins.
- Hay menos de 40 personas en esta fiesta. (There are less than 40 people at this party.) – “Menos de 40” (less than 40) is used before the number of people.
Negating Number Comparisons:
Interestingly, when you negate a sentence with a numerical comparison, you revert to the standard “que” structure:
no + más / menos + QUE + number
- Elsa no tiene más que 20 primos. (Elsa has no more than 20 cousins.) – Notice “no tiene más que” followed by “20 primos.”
- No hay menos que 40 personas en esta fiesta.* (There are no less than 40 people at this party.) – “No hay menos que” is used before “40 personas.”
Irregular Comparative Forms: Stepping Away from the Norm
Just like English has irregular comparatives like “good” becoming “better,” Spanish has a few key irregular forms you need to know, especially when comparing in Spanish. These primarily apply to qualities and age.
bueno / bien (good / well) = mejor (better)
Instead of “más bueno” or “más bien,” Spanish uses “mejor” to say “better.”
- Este ordenador es mejor que mi viejo. (This computer is better than my old one.) – “Mejor” directly replaces the regular comparative form.
malo / mal (bad / badly) = peor (worse)
Similarly, “peor” is used instead of “más malo” or “más mal” for “worse.”
- Lupita canta peor que su hermana. (Lupita sings worse than her sister.) – “Peor” is the irregular comparative for “worse.”
Age Comparisons: Mayor and Menor
When comparing age, Spanish uses specific irregular forms:
más viejo / más grande (older / bigger in age) = mayor (older)
más joven / más pequeño (younger / smaller in age) = menor (younger)
- Mi madre es mayor que mi padre. (My mother is older than my father.) – “Mayor” is used for age comparison.
- Mis primos son menores que yo. (My cousins are younger than me.) – “Menor” is used for younger age.
Size Exception:
It’s crucial to note that “mayor” and “menor” are irregular only for age. When comparing size, you revert to the regular “más / menos + grande / pequeño” structure:
- Esta casa es más grande que la de mi abuela. (This house is bigger than my grandmother’s.) – For size, “más grande” is correct.
Comparisons of Equality: As…As
When things are equal, you’ll use comparisons of equality, similar to “as…as” in English. Spanish provides several ways to express this equivalence.
1. tan + adjective / adverb + como
This is a common and versatile structure for comparing qualities and actions.
- Sara es tan bonita como Rebeca. (Sara is as pretty as Rebeca.) – “Tan bonita como” expresses equal beauty.
- El perro es tan bajo como el zapato. (The dog is as short as the shoe.) – “Tan bajo como” shows equal shortness.
2. igual de + adjective / adverb + que
“Igual de…que” is another way to express “as…as,” often emphasizing similarity.
- Esta paella es igual de buena que la de mi mamá. (This paella is as good as my mom’s.) – “Igual de buena que” emphasizes the equal quality of the paella.
- Ese coche es igual de lento como un caracol. (That car is as slow as a snail.) – “Igual de lento como” highlights the equal slowness.
3. lo mismo que…
“Lo mismo que” translates to “the same as” and is used for general comparisons of sameness.
- El billete de avión cuesta lo mismo que una cena para dos. (The plane ticket costs the same as a dinner for two.) – “Lo mismo que” indicates equal cost.
Comparing Nouns: tanto…como
When comparing nouns for equality, Spanish uses “tanto…como,” which adapts to the gender and number of the noun:
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tanto + singular masculine noun + como
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tanta + singular feminine noun + como
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tantos + plural masculine noun + como
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tantas + plural feminine noun + como
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Carlos habla tantos idiomas como Betti. (Carlos speaks as many languages as Betti.) – “Tantos idiomas como” (as many languages as) uses the masculine plural form “tantos” to agree with “idiomas.”
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Ian tiene tantas copas como Freya. (Ian has as many glasses as Freya.) – “Tantas copas como” (as many glasses as) uses the feminine plural “tantas” to agree with “copas.”
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Mis padres beben tanta leche como yo. (My parents drink as much milk as me.) – “Tanta leche como” (as much milk as) uses the feminine singular “tanta” to agree with “leche.”
Superlative Comparisons: The Most, The Best
Superlative comparisons are used to express “the most” or “the best” of something within a group. Spanish, similar to English, uses a definite article (“the”) in its structure.
el / la / los / las + más + adjective + de
The definite article (el, la, los, las) agrees in gender and number with the noun being described as superlative.
- Irina es la más bonita de la fiesta. (Irina is the prettiest of the party.) – “La más bonita de” (the prettiest of) uses “la” to agree with Irina (feminine singular).
- Diego es el chico más inteligente de nuestra clase. (Diego is the smartest boy in our class.) – “El chico más inteligente de” (the smartest boy of) uses “el” to agree with “chico” (masculine singular).
- Lorena es la más razonable del grupo. (Lorena is the most reasonable of the group.) – “La más razonable del” (the most reasonable of) uses “la” to agree with Lorena (feminine singular).
- Las oraciones comparativas son las más fáciles de aprender. (Comparative sentences are the easiest to learn.) – “Las más fáciles de” (the easiest of) uses “las” to agree with “oraciones comparativas” (feminine plural).
Practice Makes Perfect: Comparing in Spanish
Understanding these structures is the first step to mastering comparing in Spanish. The best way to solidify your knowledge is to practice! Try creating your own comparative sentences using the structures we’ve covered. Think about people you know, objects around you, or even abstract qualities, and start comparing. The more you practice, the more natural and fluent your Spanish comparisons will become.
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