Comparatives and superlatives in French
Comparatives and superlatives in French
The comparative and the superlative are used to establish a comparison . We speak of “degrees of comparison”. In French, there are several degrees of the adjective : comparatives of inferiority, equality and superiority , as well as the superlative in its three degrees: the absolute superlative , which is formed by an adverb that expresses a very high degree (very, strong, well, extremely , etc.) The relative superlative of superiority is formed by the plus + adjective + of and the relative superlative of inferiority is formed by the minus + adjective + of.
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What is the comparison and how to practice it?
The comparative is the first degree of comparison . We build it with the formulas like… like (comparison of equality), more… than (comparison of superiority) or less… than (comparison of inferiority). The adjective usually agrees in gender and number with the noun it is related to.
The superlative expresses the highest degree of a quality or a defect . It is built with the structures more… and / less… The adjective usually agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to.
SUPÉRIORITE | INFÉRIORITÉ | SUPÉRIORITE | |
| ADJECTIFS |
More than
He is bigger than his brother
| Moins … que Less than
He is shorter than his sister | Aussi … que Also that
She is as tall as her brother |
| ADVERBES |
More than
Eat faster than me
|
Less than
He eats slower than me |
Also that
He also eats faster than me |
| NOMS |
More than
There are more students than last year |
Less than … than
There are fewer students than last year |
As much as
There are as many students as last year |
| VERBES |
More than
He studies more than his brother
|
Less than
He studies less than his brother |
As much as
Study as much as his brother
|
Irregular comparative
- Bon: Meilleur – meilleure – meilleurs – meilleures
Good: better – better – better – better
- Ce travail est meilleur que celui de Jean.
This job is better than Jean’s.
- Cette pomme est meilleure que celle du supermarché
This apple is better than the one in the supermarket
- Ces bonbons au chocolat sont meilleurs que ceux aux café.
These chocolate candies are better than coffee ones.
- Ces fraises sont meilleures que ces framboises.
These strawberries are better than these raspberries.
- Good: mieux
Better
- Elle chante mieux que moi.
She sings better than me
- Tu parles mieux le français que l’italien.
You speak better French than Italian
The superlatives
| ADJECTIFS | Le/la/les plus + adjectif Le/la/les moins + adjectif | Il est le plus grand Elle est la moins petite
He is the biggest She is the least small |
| ADVERBES | Le plus + adverbe Le moins + adverbe | Elle vient le plus vite Il vient le moins vite
She comes the fastest The slowest is coming |
| NOMS | Le plus de + nom Le moins de + nom | C’est lui qui achète le plus de trucs C’est elle qui gagne le moins d’argent
He is the one who buys the most She is the one who earns the least money |
| VERBES | Verbe + le plus Verbe + le moins | C’est lui qui a étudié le plus C’est elle qui a parlé le moins He was the one who studied the most She was the one who spoke the least |
The superlative of an adjective or adverb is the form of that adjective or adverb that indicates that something is characterized to the highest degree.
Relative superlative of superiority
Enter a comparison with a group of several individuals . The adjective is framed by: la plupart… de.
- Cet élève est le plus talentueux de la classe
This student is the most talented in the class.
The group is sometimes implicit:
- Il est le seul qui parle le plus fort
He is the only one who speaks the loudest.
Relative superlative of inferiority
The adjective is framed by : moins de. (less than ).
- Il a acheté la moins chère des maisons.
He bought the least expensive of the houses.
Superlative absolute
Unlike the previous one, and as its name indicates, the absolute superlative quantifies without indicating or implying any element of comparison absolment, beaucoup, amusant, extrêmement, fort, merveilleusement, cool, comme ça, beaucoup, trop, etc. : (absolutely, a lot, fun, extremely, strong, wonderfully, cool, like that, a lot, too much, etc.):
- Chante très bien.
Sings very well.
