8.4 Comparisons and superlatives

8.4 Comparisons and superlatives

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Spanish and English use comparisons to indicate which of two people or things has a lesser, equal, or greater degree of a quality.

Both languages also use superlatives to express the highest or lowest degree of a quality.


COMPARISONS

menos interesante más grande tan sabroso como

less interesting bigger as delicious as

SUPERLATIVES

la / el mejor la / el peor la más alta

the best the worst the tallest


Comparisons of inequality are formed by placing

más (more) or menos (less) before adjectives,

adverbs, and nouns and que (than) after them.

adjective

más/menos + adverb + que

noun

Comparisons of inequality


ADJECTIVES

Los bistecs son más caros que el pollo.

Steaks are more expensive than chicken.

Estas uvas son menos sabrosas que esa pera.

These grapes are less tasty than that pear.



ADVERBS

Me acuesto más tarde que tú.

I go to bed later than you (do).

Mi hermano se despierta menos temprano que yo.

My brother wakes up less early than I (do).



NOUNS

Juan prepara más platos que José.

Juan prepares more dishes than José (does).

Susana come menos carne que Enrique.

Susan eats less meat than Enrique (does).



¡ATENCIÓN!

Note that while English has a comparative form for short

adjectives and adverbs (taller, later), such forms do not

exist in Spanish (más alto, más tarde).

When the comparison involves a numerical expression,

de is used before the number instead of que.

Hay más de cincuenta naranjas.

Llego en menos de diez minutos.


With verbs, the following construction is used to make

comparisons of inequality:

[ verb ] + más/menos que

Mis hermanos comen más que yo.

My brothers eat more than I (do).

Arturo duerme menos que su padre.

Arturo sleeps less than his father (does).



The following constructions are used to make comparisons of equality.

tan + adjective + como

adverb

tanto/a (s) + singular noun + como plural noun

Comparisons of equality


Este plato es tan delicioso como aquél.

This dish is as delicious as that one (is).

Ustedes probaron tantos platos como ellos.

You tried as many dishes as they did.



¡ATENCIÓN!

Note that tanto acts as an adjective and therefore agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies: tantas cosas.

Tan and tanto can also be used for emphasis, rather than to compare, with these meanings: tan so, tanto so much, tantos/as so many.

¡Tu almuerzo es tan grande! Your lunch is so big!

¡Comes tanto! You eat so much!

¡Comes tantas manzanas! You eat so many apples!


Comparisons of equality with verbs are formed by

placing tanto como after the verb.

Note that in this construction tanto does not change in

number or gender.

[ verb ] + tanto como

No duermo tanto como mi tía.

I don’t sleep as much as my aunt (does).

Estudiamos tanto como ustedes.

We study as much as you (do).



The following construction is used to form superlatives. Note

that the noun is always preceded by a definite article and

that de is equivalent to the English in or of.

el / la / los / las + [ noun ] + más / menos + [ adjective ] + de

Es el café más rico del país. It’s the most delicious coffee in the country.

Es el menú menos caro de todos éstos.

It is the least expensive menu of all of these.

Superlatives


¡ATENCIÓN!

While más alone means more, after a noun or a definite

article, it means most.

Superlatives


The noun in a superlative construction can be omitted if the person, place, or thing referred to is clear.

¿El restaurante El Cráter? Es el más elegante de la ciudad.

The El Cráter restaurant? It’s the most elegant (one) in the city.

Recomiendo el pollo asado. Es el más sabroso del menú.

I recommend the roast chicken. It’s the most delicious (thing) on the

menu.

Superlatives


Irregular comparisons and superlatives

Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form

bueno/a good mejor better el/la mejor (the) best

malo/a bad peor worse el/la peor (the) worst

grande/a big mayor bigger el/la mayor (the) biggest

pequeño/a small menor smaller el/la menor (the) smallest

joven young menor younger el/la menor (the) youngest

viejo/a old mayor older el/la mayor (the) eldest


When grande and pequeño/a refer to age, the irregular comparative and superlative forms, mayor and menor, are used.

However, when these adjectives refer to size, the regular forms, más grande and más pequeño/a, are used.

Isabel es la mayor de su familia.

Isabel is the eldest in her family.

Tu ensalada es más grande que ésa. Your salad is bigger than that one.

Yo soy menor que tú. I’m younger than you.

Pedí el plato más pequeño del menú. I ordered the smallest dish on the menu.

Irregular comparatives and superlatives


The adverbs bien and mal have the same irregular comparative forms as the adjectives bueno/a and malo/a.

Julio nada mejor que los otros chicos. Julio swims better than the other boys.

Ellas cantan peor que las otras chicas. They sing worse than the other girls.

Irregular comparatives and superlatives


In Spanish the absolute superlative is equivalent to

extremely, exceptionally, super, or very before an

adjective or adverb.

You encountered an absolute superlative when you

learned how to say: Me gusta(n) muchísimo…

Absolute superlatives


To form the absolute superlative of most adjectives and adverbs, drop the final vowel, if there is one, and add -ísimo/a(s).

malo mal- malísimo mucho much- muchísimo

¡El bistec está malísimo! Comes muchísimo. The steak is very bad! You eat a lot (very, very much).

difícil + -ísimo dificilísimo fácil + -ísimo facilísimo

Esta prueba es dificilísima. Los exámenes son facilísimos. This quiz is exceptionally difficult. The tests are extremely easy.



Adjectives and adverbs whose stem ends in c, g, or z

change spelling to qu, gu, and c in the absolute superlative.

rico riquísimo

largo larguísimo

feliz felicísimo



Adjectives that end in –n or –r normally form the absolute

superlative by adding -císimo.

joven + -císimo jovencísimo

trabajador + -císimo trabajadorcísimo



¡INTÉNTALO! Escribe el equivalente de las palabras en inglés.

Comparativos

1. (than) Ernesto mira más televisión ____ Alberto.

2. (less) Tú eres ____ simpático que Federico.

3. (as much) La camarera sirve ____ carne como pescado.

4. (more) Conozco ____ restaurantes que tú.

5. (as much as) No estudio ____ tú.

6. (as) ¿Sabes jugar al tenis tan bien ____ tu hermana?

7. (as many) ¿Puedes beber ____ refrescos como yo?

8. (as) Mis amigos parecen ____ simpáticos como ustedes.

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¡INTÉNTALO! Escribe el equivalente de las palabras en inglés.

Superlativos

1. (the most intelligent) Marisa es _____ de todas.

2. (the least boring) Ricardo y Tomás son _____ de la fiesta.

3. (the worst) Miguel y Antonio son _____ estudiantes de la clase.

4. (the eldest) Mi profesor de biología es _____ de la universidad.

5. (extremely delicious) El pollo de este supermercado es _____ .

6. (the youngest) Carlos es _____ de mis hermanos.

7. (the best) Este plato es _____ del restaurante.

8. (extremely tall) Sara es _____ .

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8.4 Comparisons and superlatives

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