How to Form Comparatives and Superlatives in Spanish.Formula, examples and practice exercises.

Comparatives are used to compare two things, expressing a higher, lower, or equal degree of a quality. They show whether one thing is more, less, or as something as another.

The basic formulas are:

• más ... que — more ... than
• menos ... que — less ... than
• tan ... como — as ... as

Examples:

• Más inteligente que su hermano — More intelligent than his brother.
• Menos caro que ese coche — Less expensive than that car.
• Tan rápido como un guepardo — As fast as a cheetah.

A complete comparison commonly follows the pattern subject + verb + comparative expression + adjective or adverb + que + comparison. The comparison can also use a pronoun or be understood from context.

Ella es más alta que su amiga — She is taller than her friend.

To form a comparative sentence in Spanish:

1. Identify the adjective or adverb: Determine the quality or manner being compared.
2. Choose the type of comparison: Decide whether the comparison expresses equality, superiority, or inferiority.
3. Construct the comparative expression: Use the appropriate formula and complete the sentence with the entities being compared.

• Equality: Use tan ... como with adjectives and adverbs. Use tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas ... como with nouns.
  • El chico es tan alto como su padre — The boy is as tall as his father.
  • Ella tiene tantos libros como Carlos — She has as many books as Carlos.
• Superiority and inferiority: Use más ... que or menos ... que with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
  • Mi coche es más rápido que el tuyo — My car is faster than yours.
  • Corres menos rápido que ella — You run less fast than she does.

Irregular comparative forms:

For physical size, use más grande or más pequeño when appropriate: Esta casa es más grande que la otra — This house is bigger than the other one. Adjectives that remain variable must agree with the noun in gender and number; mejor, peor, mayor, and menor do not change for gender, but they take plural forms when needed.

Superlatives describe a quality at an extreme degree. Spanish has two main types.

• Absolute superlatives express a very high degree without comparing the noun with a group. They are commonly formed with -ísimo, -ísima, -ísimos, -ísimas, or with muy.
  • Es rapidísimo — He is extremely fast.
  • Es muy rápido — He is very fast.
• Relative superlatives identify the highest or lowest degree within a group. They use a definite article plus más or menos and an adjective, usually followed by de or en to identify the group.
  • Ella es la más talentosa de la clase — She is the most talented in the class.
  • Esta es la opción menos costosa — This is the least expensive option.

The definite article in a relative superlative agrees with the noun: el, la, los, las más/menos + adjective. Absolute superlatives do not require that article unless the surrounding noun phrase requires one.

There are two common ways to form an absolute superlative and one main pattern for a relative superlative.

Absolute superlatives

• Start with the adjective.
• Remove its final vowel, if it has one, and add the appropriate form of -ísimo: -ísimo, -ísima, -ísimos, -ísimas.
• Apply any necessary spelling change. For example, c changes to qu before e, and z changes to c before e.
  • El edificio es altísimo — The building is extremely tall.
  • La comida está riquísima — The food is extremely delicious.
  • Es facilísimo — It is extremely easy.
  • Es amabilísimo — He is extremely kind.

Some absolute superlatives are irregular or have learned variants and must be memorized. The form muy + adjective is also regular and common: Es muy amable — He is very kind.

Relative superlatives

Use el, la, los, las + más/menos + adjective, followed by de or en when naming the group.

• Es el lugar más bonito de la ciudad — It is the most beautiful place in the city.
• Es la peor opción — It is the worst option.

Spanish uses different equality patterns depending on whether the comparison concerns a quality, a quantity, or an action.

• With adjectives and adverbs, use tan + adjective/adverb + como.
• With nouns, use tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas + noun + como. The quantity word agrees in gender and number with the noun.
• With verbs, use verb + tanto como. Here tanto is an invariable adverb meaning “as much” or “as much as.”

Choose the pattern according to what is being compared: a quality, a quantity of things, or the extent of an action.

Adjectives can change form in comparative and superlative constructions. Regular superiority and inferiority comparatives generally use más or menos before the adjective and que before the second term.

• Este edificio es más alto que aquel — This building is taller than that one.
• Esta tarea es menos difícil que la anterior — This task is less difficult than the previous one.

Relative superlatives use a definite article followed by más or menos and the adjective. The article and adjective agree with the noun.

• Él es el más alto — He is the tallest.
• Ella es la más inteligente — She is the most intelligent.

Some adjectives have special comparative forms:

• bueno — mejor — el/la mejor (good — better — the best)
• malo — peor — el/la peor (bad — worse — the worst)
• grande — mayor — el/la mayor (older or greater — the oldest or greatest, depending on context)
• pequeño — menor — el/la menor (younger or lesser — the youngest or least, depending on context)

For physical size, grande and pequeño normally use the regular forms más grande and más pequeño: Mi habitación es más grande que la tuya — My room is bigger than yours.

Comparatives and superlatives have different purposes and structures.

Purpose:

• Comparatives compare two entities or quantities, showing superiority, inferiority, or equality. Juan es más alto que Pedro — Juan is taller than Pedro.
• Superlatives express an extreme degree. A relative superlative places one entity at the highest or lowest point within a group. María es la más alta de la clase — María is the tallest in the class.

Structural differences:

• Comparative: más/menos + adjective + que, or tan + adjective + como for equality. El coche rojo es más rápido que el coche azul — The red car is faster than the blue car.
• Relative superlative: el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective + de/en when the group is specified. Ella es la más inteligente de todos — She is the most intelligent of them all.
• Absolute superlative: adjective stem + -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas, or muy + adjective, without comparing the quality with a group. El examen es facilísimo — The exam is extremely easy.

Use the comparative when the focus is on a relationship between entities. Use a superlative when the focus is on an extreme degree, especially one entity’s position within a group.

Context determines which entities are being compared and whether a comparative or superlative is appropriate. A comparative normally presents a relationship between two entities or quantities.

• Él es más alto que su hermano — He is taller than his brother.
• Esta casa es menos cara que la otra — This house is less expensive than the other one.

A relative superlative compares one entity with all or part of a group and identifies an extreme within that group.

• María es la más inteligente de la clase — María is the smartest in the class.
• Es el edificio más alto de la ciudad — It is the tallest building in the city.

Consider both the group and the scope of the comparison:

If the comparison group is not stated, context must make it clear. Use a comparative for a direct comparison and a superlative for an extreme degree within a group.