By the end of this lesson you'll be able to compare people, things and actions, and use the two French words for "better".
With adjectives and adverbs
Put plus, moins or aussi before an adjective or an adverb, and que after it.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| plus … que | plew … kuh | more … than |
| moins … que | mwan … kuh | less … than |
| aussi … que | oh-see … kuh | as … as |
| âgé / âgée | ah-ZHAY | old, elderly (masculine / feminine) |
Paul est plus grand que Marie.
Paul is taller than Marie.
Ce quartier est moins calme que le centre.
This neighbourhood is less quiet than the centre.
Elle parle aussi vite que lui.
She speaks as fast as he does.
The adjective agrees with the subject, as you learned in the lesson on adjective agreement, and not with the thing being compared: Marie est plus grande que Paul.
After que, you can have a name, a noun or a stressed pronoun, from the lesson on stressed pronouns: que Paul, que le centre, que moi. For now, don't follow it with a whole clause. Que shortens to qu' before a vowel: qu'Anne, qu'en hiver.
Adverbs work the same way as adjectives, as you'll remember from the lesson on adverbs: Elle parle plus lentement que moi (She speaks more slowly than I do).
How plus sounds
Before a consonant, the s of plus is usually silent: plus grand. Before a vowel, it links to the next word: plus intéressant. In plus de meaning "more", the s is usually pronounced: plus de touristes. In ne…plus de (no more), it's silent: Je n'ai plus de lait.
With nouns and verbs
With a noun, add de: plus de, moins de, autant de.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| plus de … que | plews duh … kuh | more (of) … than |
| moins de … que | mwan duh … kuh | less, fewer … than |
| autant de … que | oh-tahn duh … kuh | as much, as many … as |
| autant que | oh-tahn kuh | as much as (with a verb) |
Il y a plus de touristes en été qu'en hiver.
There are more tourists in summer than in winter.
J'ai autant de livres que toi.
I have as many books as you.
Nous avons moins de temps que Paul.
We have less time than Paul.
A few nouns from this lesson's examples, dialogue and exercises:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| un touriste / une touriste | uhn too-REEST / ewn too-REEST | a tourist |
| les gens | lay ZHAHN | peopleAlways plural. |
| une tarte | ewn TART | a tart, a pie |
With a verb, put plus, moins or autant straight after it, then que.
Elle voyage plus que moi.
She travels more than I do.
Tu dors moins que Karim.
You sleep less than Karim.
Better: meilleur and mieux
English has only one word, but French has two.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meilleur / meilleure | meh-YUHR | better (masculine / feminine)Plural: meilleurs / meilleures. |
| mieux | myuh | better (with a verb) |
Meilleur is the comparative of bon. It's an adjective, so it agrees with its noun. You can't say plus bon. Moins bon and aussi bon are fine, though.
Ce pain est meilleur que l'autre.
This bread is better than the other one.
Ces pommes sont meilleures.
These apples are better.
Ce vin est moins bon.
This wine isn't as good.
Mieux is the comparative of bien. It's an adverb, so it goes with a verb and it never changes.
Léa chante mieux que Paul.
Léa sings better than Paul.
Elles travaillent mieux que nous.
They work better than we do.
Ça va mieux (I'm feeling better) is a fixed phrase, and it's useful with what you learned in the review of health and the body.
With a number
With a number, French uses plus de or moins de, and not que: plus de dix personnes (more than ten people), moins de vingt euros (less than twenty euros). This plus isn't the same as ne…plus in the lesson on other negative expressions, which means "no longer".
Saying which one you prefer
After a comparison, you often want to say which one you like more. For that, use préférer.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| préférer | pray-fay-RAY | to preferJe préfère, tu préfères, il préfère, nous préférons, vous préférez, ils préfèrent. |
The é before the ending becomes è with je, tu, il and ils, but not with nous and vous.
Je préfère Dijon.
I prefer Dijon.
En français
- Lyon est plus grand que Dijon ? (Is Lyon bigger than Dijon?)
- Oui, et il y a plus de restaurants. (Yes, and there are more restaurants.)
- Tu préfères Lyon ? (Do you prefer Lyon?)
- Non. Dijon est moins bruyant, et les gens sont aussi sympas. (No. Dijon is less noisy, and the people are just as nice.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on superlatives shows how to say "the biggest" and "the best". You'll use both in the review of this unit.