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
Les confitures de ma mère sont meilleures que celles du supermarché.
My mother’s jams are better than the supermarket’s.
La viande rouge est plus mauvaise pour la santé que le poisson.
Red meat is less good for you than fish.
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.
Sa conduite est plus mauvaise que celle de ses amis.
His behaviour is worse than that of his friends.
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 marche plus difficilement que l’an passé.
She walks with more difficulty than she did last year.
Il faut t’habiller plus chaudement qu’hier.
You must dress more warmly than you did yesterday.
Je m’entends moins bien avec Marie qu’avec son frère.
I get on with Marie less well than I do with her brother.
Ce produit vous permet d’accédez plus rapidement à vos sites web favoris.
This product allows you to access your favourite websites more rapidly.
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
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.
Je vois mieux maintenant qu’avec mes anciennes lunettes.
I can see better now than with my old glasses.
Les professeurs gagnent moins que les médecins.
Teachers earn less than doctors.
Cette maladie se soigne mieux qu’autrefois.
This disease is treated better than it used to be.
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 il vieillit, plus il devient exigeant.
The older he gets, the more demanding he gets.
Plus tu lui donnes de l’argent, plus il lui en faut.
The more you give him money, the more he needs it.
Plus je regarde ce tableau, plus il me plaît.
The more I look at this picture, the more I like it.
Plus j’y réfléchis, plus cela me semble irréalisable.
The more I think about it, the more it seems unachievable.
Plus il grandit, plus il devient difficile.
The older he gets, the more difficult he’s becoming.
