Using comparatives 1 Definition The comparative is the form of an
adjective
or
adverb
that indicates that the quality being described is possessed to a greater
extent.
For example, in the sentence He is taller than I am , the
word taller is a comparative adjective ; and in the sentence He
did better than I did , the word better is a comparative
adverb .
2 Formation 2.1 Adjectives Comparative adjectives are formed in French using plus , moins
or aussi , with que acting as link word (equivalent of
than in English).
Il est plus fort que moi en
math
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He is better than me in maths
Note the irregular forms:
Table 60.2.1a: Irregular comparative adjectives
standard form comparative bon meilleur
good better
mauvais plus mauvais / pire bad worse
Note
Note that pire is less common than plus mauvais . Pire tends to have the meaning of "even worse" or else express a moral judgement, while plus mauvais tends to express a judgement of quality or quantity:
Ce restaurant est pire qu'une cantine scolaire!
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This restaurant is worse than a school cantine!
Ce restaurant est plus mauvais que celui d'à côté
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This restaurant is worse than the one opposite
La situation économique est plus mauvaise que celle de l’an passé.
The economic situation is worse than it was last year.
Les confitures de ma mère sont meilleures que celles du supermarché.
My mother’s jams are better than the supermarket’s.
Ce verglas est plus mauvais que celui d’hier soir.
This ice is worse than what we had last night.
Ce devoir est meilleur que le précédent.
This homework is better than the last one.
La nouvelle version du film est plus mauvaise que l’original.
The remake of the film is worse than the original.
2.2 Adverbs As with adjectives, comparative adverbs are formed using plus ,
moins or aussi , with que acting as link word
(equivalent of than in English):
Il a réagi plus calmement que
moi
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He reacted more calmly than I did
Selon ce sondage les hommes conduisent moins bien que les femmes.
According to the survey men drive less well than women.
Elle marche plus difficilement que l’an passé.
She walks with more difficulty than she did last year.
L’équipe joue moins bien qu’au début de la saison.
The team’s playing less well than it did at the beginning of the season.
Il parle plus gentiment à ma soeur qu’à moi.
He talks more kindly to my sister than he does to me.
Elle s’habille moins bien que Françoise.
She dresses less well than Françoise.
Note the irregular forms:
Table 60.2.2a: Irregular comparative adverbs
standard form comparative bien mieux
well better
beaucoup plus many / a lot more peu moins little less
Nous buvons moins qu’avant.
We drink less than we used to.
Tu prononces mieux tes mots depuis ton séjour en Angleterre.
You pronounce your words better since your stay in England.
J’écris plus mal avec un stylo bille qu’avec un stylo plume.
I write worse with a ball-point pen than with a fountain pen.
Cet appartement est mieux que celui de l’étage au-dessus.
This flat is better than the one on the floor above.
Il travaille mieux depuis le début de ce trimestre.
He’s been working better since the start of this term.
3 Other points 3.1 Use of neutral pronoun le
Where plus , moins or aussi are followed by
que plus a verb, the verb is often preceded by the
neutral pronoun
le .
Cet étudiant est plus doué que je ne l 'ai
d'abord cru
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This student is more gifted than I first thought
3.2 Use of "expletive" ne When using plus ... que or moins ... que
followed by a
verb
, an
expletive
ne can optionally be added
before the verb without any
negative
meaning:
La situation est plus grave
que je (ne )
le croyais
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The situation is more serious than I thought
Il a réagi plus calmement que
je (ne ) le craignais
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He reacted more calmly than I feared he would
3.3 Double comparisons While English uses the before the comparative word in double
comparisons, French doesn't:
Plus je travaille, plus
je comprends
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The more I work, the
more I understand
Plus tu lui demanderas, plus il sera tenté d’accepter ton offre.
The more you ask him, the more he’ll be tempted to accept your offer.
Plus il vieillit, plus il devient exigeant.
The older he gets, the more demanding he gets.
Plus cela va cuire, plus cela va durcir.
The more it cooks, the more it will harden.
Plus tu essaieras, plus cela deviendra facile.
The more you try, the easier it will get.
Plus vous tarderez à l’appeler, plus elle s’inquiétera.
The longer you delay calling her, the more she’ll worry.
