French Grammar: Comparisons of Inequality
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
…
Identify:
French Grammar: Comparisons of Inequality
la grammaire française: le comparatif d’inégalité
Review:
Study:
Comparisons of Inequality are used to show how two or more people or things have more or less of a characteristic when compared to each other. Make sure not to confuse them with Comparisons of Equality or Comparisons of Quantity.
Making Comparisons of Inequality in French requires a specific grammatical construction. It’s like using a mathematical formula in order to communicate meaning!
Use one of the following constructions to compare characteristics of nouns:
plus + adjective + que : more (adjective) than
moins + adjective + que : less (adjective) than
Examples:
Pierre est plus grand que moi.
Pierre is taller than me.
Marie est plus intelligente que les autres.
Marie is smarter than the others.
Je suis moins optimiste que mon frère.
I am less optimistic than my brother.
Use one of the following constructions to compare characteristics of verbs:
plus + (adverb) + que : more (adverb) than
moins + (adverb) + que : less (adverb) than
Examples:
Pierre court plus vite que moi.
Pierre runs faster than me.
Marie étudie plus souvent que les autres.
Marie studies more often than the others.
Je parle français moins couramment que mon frère.
I speak French less fluently than my brother.
There are a few irregular comparative adjectives and adverbs. Irregular comparative adjectives must agree in number and gender with the first noun they describe. Irregular comparative adverbs don’t have to agree in number or gender with the verb(s) they modify.
bon(ne)(s) : good –> meilleur(e)(s) : better (this form is an adjective; it describes nouns, so it must agree in number and in gender with the noun it describes)
bien : well –> mieux : better (this form is an adverb; it modifies verbs, and it doesn’t change its form)
mauvais(e)(s) : bad –> plus mauvais(e)(s) OR pire(s) : worse (these forms are adjectives; they describe nouns, so they must agree in number and in gender with the noun they describe)
mal : badly –> plus mal OR pire : worse (these forms are adverbs; they modify verbs, and they don’t change their form)
Examples:
Les Yankees sont meilleurs que les Mets.
The Yankees are better than the Mets.
Les Mets sont plus mauvais que les Yankees. / Les Mets sont pires que les Yankees.
The Mets are worse than the Yankees.
Les Yankees jouent mieux que les Mets.
The Yankees play better than the Mets.
Les Mets jouent plus mal que les Yankees. / Les Mets jouent pire que les Yankees.
The Mets play worse than the Yankees.
Comparisons of Equality and Inequality can also be combined with quantities of objects (nouns), but that is covered in the lesson Comparisons of Quantity.
Adapt:
Qui est moins âgé, Roger ou vous?
Who is younger, Roger or you?
Roger est moins âgé que moi.
Roger is younger than me.
Qui est plus drôle, Jim Carrey ou Jerry Seinfeld?
Who is funnier, Jim Carrey or Jerry Seinfeld?
Jerry Seinfeld est plus drôle que Jim Carrey.
Jerry Seinfeld is funnier than Jim Carrey.
Lequel est moins cher, une voiture ou un vélo?
Which is less expensive, a car or a bicycle?
Un vélo est moins cher qu’une voiture.
A bicycle is less expensive than a car.
Je chante mieux que ma soeur.
I sing better than my sister.
Quelques jours sont meilleurs que les autres.
Some days are better than others.
Suzanne marche plus lentement que Nathalie.
Susanna walks more slowly than Nathalie.
Un bébé pleure plus qu’un adulte.
A baby cries more than an adult.
Je mange moins que mon frère.
I eat less than my brother.
