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 viande rouge est plus mauvaise pour la santé que le poisson.
Red meat is less good for you than fish.
La nouvelle version du film est plus mauvaise que l’original.
The remake of the film is worse than the original.
Selon lui le système éducatif est plus mauvais dans son pays qu’en France.
According to him the educational system is worse in his country than it is in France.
Les tisanes sont meilleures pour la santé que le café.
Herbal teas are better for you than coffee.
Sa conduite est plus mauvaise que celle de ses amis.
His behaviour is worse than that of his friends.
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
Il faut t’habiller plus chaudement qu’hier.
You must dress more warmly than you did yesterday.
Elle s’habille moins bien que Françoise.
She dresses less well than Françoise.
Je m’entends moins bien avec Marie qu’avec son frère.
I get on with Marie less well than I do with her brother.
Elle travaille plus efficacement que ses collègues.
She works more efficiently than her colleagues.
Ce produit vous permet d’accédez plus rapidement à vos sites web favoris.
This product allows you to access your favourite websites more rapidly.
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
Il travaille mieux depuis le début de ce trimestre.
He’s been working better since the start of this term.
Je vois mieux maintenant qu’avec mes anciennes lunettes.
I can see better now than with my old glasses.
Elle chante mieux que sa soeur.
She sings better than her sister.
Je dors mieux qu’avant.
I sleep better than I used to.
Les professeurs gagnent moins que les médecins.
Teachers earn less than doctors.
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 donnes de l’argent, plus il lui en faut.
The more you give him money, the more he needs it.
Plus vous tarderez à l’appeler, plus elle s’inquiétera.
The longer you delay calling her, the more she’ll worry.
Plus je regarde ce tableau, plus il me plaît.
The more I look at this picture, the more I like it.
Plus je dors, plus j’ai envie de dormir.
The more I sleep, the more I want to sleep.
Plus j’y réfléchis, plus cela me semble irréalisable.
The more I think about it, the more it seems unachievable.