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
Aujourd’hui le temps sera plus mauvais qu’hier.
Today the weather will be worse than it was yesterday.
La situation économique est plus mauvaise que celle de l’an passé.
The economic situation is worse than it was last year.
La viande rouge est plus mauvaise pour la santé que le poisson.
Red meat is less good for you than fish.
Cette route est plus mauvaise qu’un chemin de terre.
This road is worse than an earth track.
En classe il est meilleur que son frère.
In class he’s better than his brother.
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
Elle a répondu plus hâtivement qu’elle n’aurait dû.
She replied more hastily than she ought to have.
Selon ce sondage les hommes conduisent moins bien que les femmes.
According to the survey men drive less well than women.
Il faut t’habiller plus chaudement qu’hier.
You must dress more warmly than you did yesterday.
Nous partons en vacances moins souvent qu’avant.
We go on holiday less often than we used to.
Vous devriez rouler plus lentement que sur la route principale.
You should drive more slowly than on the main road.
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
Je parle mieux l’anglais que l’allemand.
I speak English better than I do German.
Tu prononces mieux tes mots depuis ton séjour en Angleterre.
You pronounce your words better since your stay in England.
Je vois mieux maintenant qu’avec mes anciennes lunettes.
I can see better now than with my old glasses.
A l’hôpital elle sera mieux soignée que chez elle.
In hospital she’ll be better looked after than at home.
Il gère plus mal l’usine que son prédécesseur.
He manages the factory worse than his predecessor.
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 je mange de chocolat, plus j’en ai envie.
The more I eat chocolate, the more I want to.
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 tu lui donnes de l’argent, plus il lui en faut.
The more you give him money, the more he needs it.
Le casino est un piège: plus vous perdez, plus vous voulez jouer.
The casino is a trap: the more you lose, the more you want to bet.
Plus il grandit, plus il devient difficile.
The older he gets, the more difficult he’s becoming.
