Comparatives are used to compare two people, two objects or two situations. They vary according to their use in the sentence. They are used with nouns, adjectives, verbs or adverbs.
In this lesson, we will show you how to use comparatives with adverbs.
For example:
Papa conduit plus vite que maman.
Daddy drives faster than mommy.
Il rend visite à ses parents plus souvent que sa soeur.
He visits his parents more often than his sister.
Nous travaillons plus dur que nos voisins.
We work harder than our neighbors.
Vous habitez plus près du centre commercial que nous. Vous avez de la chance !
You live closer to the mall than we do. You’re lucky!
Il m’a parlé plus gentiment que sa femme.
He spoke to me in a nicer way than his wife.
For example:
Elle cuisine moins fréquemment que sa fille.
She cooks less frequently than her daughter.
Julien écrit moins bien que son frère.
Julien doesn’t write as well as his brother.
Les salaires des employés du secteur public augmentent moins rapidement que ceux des employés du secteur privé.
Employee salaries in the public sector rise less rapidly than those in the private sector.
For example:
Elle a dansé aussi bien que sa soeur.
She danced as well as her sister.
Son mari criait aussi fort qu’elle.
Her husband was yelling as much as she was.
Bien qu’ils se soient séparés il y a longtemps, elle continue toujours à l’aimer aussi tendrement qu’avant.
Even though they separated a long time ago, she still loves him as tenderly as before.
Il ne vient pas ici aussi souvent que son frère.
He doesn’t come here as often as his brother.
Remember: Comparatives with adverbs don’t always need to be followed with “que” and a noun or verb phrase. The noun or the verb phrase can be implied.
For example:
S’il vous plaît essayez la prochaine fois de travailler plus sérieusement. (que cette fois -ci)
Please try next time to work more seriously. (than this time)
Remember: Don’t confuse “moins que” the comparative of superiority of the adverb “peu” with “moins que” the comparative of inferiority of adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. “Moins que” in the table above is the superlative of superiority of “peu”.
For example:
Elle chante mieux que l’actrice principale du film. C’est elle qui devrait prendre le premier rôle.
She sings better than the main actress of the movie. She should get the leading role.
Son couple va plus mal que jamais.
His relationship has never been worse.
Mon ordinateur chauffe davantage que ma tablette.
My computer gets hotter than my tablet.
Nous les aimons plus que nos propres enfants.
We love them more than our own kids.
Erwan mange peu mais sa soeur mange moins que lui.
Erwan eats a little, but his sister eats less than he does.
Remember: “Pis” is rarely used nowadays and is considered dated. However, we can still find it in some literary texts. It is also used with other words such as: “tant pis”, “de pis en pis” or “de mal en pis”.
For example:
Ah tu ne vas pas nous accompagner ? Bah tant pis alors ! On demandera à quelqu’un d’autre.
Oh you won’t come with us? Too bad! Oh well, we’ll ask someone else then.
Les choses vont de mal en pis/de pis en pis.
Things are getting worse.
In this lesson, we will show you how to use comparatives with adverbs.
Comparatives of superiority
We put the adverb between “plus” and “que” when we want to express superiority with adverbs of manner, frequency, time or place etc...For example:
Papa conduit plus vite que maman.
Daddy drives faster than mommy.
Il rend visite à ses parents plus souvent que sa soeur.
He visits his parents more often than his sister.
Nous travaillons plus dur que nos voisins.
We work harder than our neighbors.
Vous habitez plus près du centre commercial que nous. Vous avez de la chance !
You live closer to the mall than we do. You’re lucky!
Il m’a parlé plus gentiment que sa femme.
He spoke to me in a nicer way than his wife.
Comparatives of inferiority
We put the adverb between “moins” and “que” when we want to express inferiority with adverbs of manner, frequency, time or place etc....For example:
Elle cuisine moins fréquemment que sa fille.
She cooks less frequently than her daughter.
Julien écrit moins bien que son frère.
Julien doesn’t write as well as his brother.
Les salaires des employés du secteur public augmentent moins rapidement que ceux des employés du secteur privé.
Employee salaries in the public sector rise less rapidly than those in the private sector.
Comparatives of equality
To express equality with adverbs we use “aussi que”. We put the adverb between “aussi” and “que”.For example:
Elle a dansé aussi bien que sa soeur.
She danced as well as her sister.
Son mari criait aussi fort qu’elle.
Her husband was yelling as much as she was.
Bien qu’ils se soient séparés il y a longtemps, elle continue toujours à l’aimer aussi tendrement qu’avant.
Even though they separated a long time ago, she still loves him as tenderly as before.
Il ne vient pas ici aussi souvent que son frère.
He doesn’t come here as often as his brother.
Remember: Comparatives with adverbs don’t always need to be followed with “que” and a noun or verb phrase. The noun or the verb phrase can be implied.
For example:
S’il vous plaît essayez la prochaine fois de travailler plus sérieusement. (que cette fois -ci)
Please try next time to work more seriously. (than this time)
Irregular adverbs
There are some adverbs that don’t use the “plus que” to express comparison. We call them irregular adverbs.Adverbs | Comparatives of Superiority |
| bien well | mieux better |
| mal bad | plus mal / pis worse |
| beaucoup much/a lot | plus que/davantage more so |
| peu a little | moins que less than |
Remember: Don’t confuse “moins que” the comparative of superiority of the adverb “peu” with “moins que” the comparative of inferiority of adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. “Moins que” in the table above is the superlative of superiority of “peu”.
For example:
Elle chante mieux que l’actrice principale du film. C’est elle qui devrait prendre le premier rôle.
She sings better than the main actress of the movie. She should get the leading role.
Son couple va plus mal que jamais.
His relationship has never been worse.
Mon ordinateur chauffe davantage que ma tablette.
My computer gets hotter than my tablet.
Nous les aimons plus que nos propres enfants.
We love them more than our own kids.
Erwan mange peu mais sa soeur mange moins que lui.
Erwan eats a little, but his sister eats less than he does.
Remember: “Pis” is rarely used nowadays and is considered dated. However, we can still find it in some literary texts. It is also used with other words such as: “tant pis”, “de pis en pis” or “de mal en pis”.
For example:
Ah tu ne vas pas nous accompagner ? Bah tant pis alors ! On demandera à quelqu’un d’autre.
Oh you won’t come with us? Too bad! Oh well, we’ll ask someone else then.
Les choses vont de mal en pis/de pis en pis.
Things are getting worse.