Comparisons in French

In Brief

Use plus ... que for “more ... than,” moins ... que for “less ... than,” and aussi ... que for “as ... as”: Il est plus grand que moi. With nouns, use plus de, moins de, or autant de; with verbs, use plus, moins, or autant after the verb. For “better,” choose meilleur with a noun but mieux with a verb.

Overview

A comparison shows whether two people, things, qualities, quantities, or actions are greater, smaller, or equal. French calls this le comparatif. It is a useful A2 topic for talking about prices, places, preferences, abilities, and everyday choices: one train is faster, an apartment costs less, or two colleagues work equally hard.

English sometimes adds -er to an adjective (“taller”) and sometimes uses “more” (“more interesting”). French does not make that distinction. It normally places plus, moins, or aussi before the adjective: plus grand, moins intéressant, aussi pratique. The word que introduces the second item in the comparison.

The exact pattern depends on what you compare. An adjective describes a person or thing, an adverb describes how an action happens, a noun names a person, thing, or idea, and a verb expresses an action or state. French uses aussi for equal qualities but autant for equal quantities and actions. This distinction has no exact one-word match in English, so it deserves special attention.

How It Works

Comparing qualities with adjectives

Put the comparison word before the adjective and que before the second item.

Meaning	Pattern	Example
more / -er than	plus + adjective + que	Ce sac est plus léger que l'autre.
less ... than	moins + adjective + que	Le bus est moins rapide que le train.
as ... as	aussi + adjective + que	Cette rue est aussi calme que la nôtre.

The adjective still agrees with the noun it describes. Agreement means matching masculine or feminine and singular or plural forms: Paul est plus grand, but Léa est plus grande; ces chambres sont plus grandes.

The comparison phrase does not have to name the second item. If the context is clear, French can stop after the adjective: Cette option est moins chère. (“This option is less expensive.”) Similarly, C'est aussi bon means “It is just as good,” with the comparison understood from context.

Comparing how actions happen with adverbs

Use the same three basic words around an adverb:

Meaning	Pattern	Example
more ... than	plus + adverb + que	Elle répond plus rapidement que moi.
less ... than	moins + adverb + que	Il conduit moins prudemment que sa sœur.
as ... as	aussi + adverb + que	Tu parles aussi clairement que lui.

An adverb does not agree with the subject. Elle court plus lentement and ils courent plus lentement use the same form.

Comparing quantities of nouns

Before a noun, use de. For equality, French changes from aussi to autant.

Meaning	Pattern	Example
more ... than	plus de + noun + que	Nous avons plus de temps que vous.
fewer / less ... than	moins de + noun + que	Il y a moins de voitures qu'hier.
as much / as many ... as	autant de + noun + que	Elle a autant d'expérience que lui.

Use de, not des, even with a plural noun: plus de livres, moins de problèmes. Before a vowel or silent h, de becomes d': autant d'idées, moins d'argent.

Notice the contraction in que + il → qu'il and que + hier → qu'hier. This is ordinary elision: French drops the final vowel before another vowel sound.

Comparing actions with verbs

When the comparison concerns the amount or frequency of an action, put plus, moins, or autant after the conjugated verb. A conjugated verb is a verb form marked for its subject or tense, such as travaille or avons dormi.

Meaning	Pattern	Example
do more than	verb + plus + que	Je voyage plus que mon frère.
do less than	verb + moins + que	Nous sortons moins qu'avant.
do as much as	verb + autant + que	Elle travaille autant que moi.

With a compound tense, the comparison usually follows the past participle (the verb form used with avoir or être): J'ai moins dormi que toi; Nous avons autant travaillé qu'eux.

Compare these two sentences:

• Lina travaille aussi vite que Marc. — Lina works as quickly as Marc. The adverb vite is being compared, so use aussi.
• Lina travaille autant que Marc. — Lina works as much as Marc. The action itself is being compared, so use autant.

The second part of the comparison

After que, a noun or name is straightforward: plus vieux que ce bâtiment, moins loin que Paris. For a person represented by a pronoun, French uses a stressed pronoun (the standalone forms moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles):

• Il est plus grand que moi.
• Elle chante mieux que lui.
• Nous avons autant de travail qu'eux.

Do not copy English subject pronouns directly: “than I” is normally que moi, not que je, unless a complete clause follows: Il est plus grand que je ne le pensais (“He is taller than I thought”).

Better and worse: irregular forms

French distinguishes “good” from “well,” so it also has two common words for “better.”

Basic word	Comparative	Function	Example
bon/bonne (good)	meilleur/meilleure (better)	adjective: describes a noun	Ce café est meilleur.
bien (well)	mieux (better)	adverb: describes an action	Elle cuisine mieux que moi.
mauvais/mauvaise (bad)	pire or plus mauvais(e) (worse)	adjective	La situation est pire qu'hier.
mal (badly)	usually plus mal (worse)	adverb	Je dors plus mal ici.

Meilleur agrees like an adjective: un meilleur résultat, une meilleure solution, de meilleurs résultats, de meilleures solutions. Mieux never changes.

Do not combine these forms with plus. French says meilleur, not plus meilleur, and mieux, not plus mieux. Both pire and plus mauvais are possible; pire often suggests something more seriously bad, while plus mauvais can be a neutral comparison of quality.

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Il est plus grand que moi.	He is taller than me.	Adjective; stressed pronoun after que
Paris est moins grand que Tokyo.	Paris is smaller than Tokyo.	Literally “less big”
Cette valise est aussi lourde que la mienne.	This suitcase is as heavy as mine.	Equal quality
Le vélo est plus pratique en ville.	A bicycle is more practical in the city.	The second comparison point is understood
Elle parle moins vite que son collègue.	She speaks less quickly than her colleague.	Adverb comparison
Tu expliques aussi clairement que la professeure.	You explain it as clearly as the teacher.	Equal manner
Nous avons plus de temps que prévu.	We have more time than expected.	Noun quantity with plus de
Ce quartier a moins de cafés qu'avant.	This neighborhood has fewer cafés than before.	que + avant becomes qu'avant
J'ai autant d'idées que toi.	I have as many ideas as you.	Equal noun quantity
Depuis janvier, je voyage moins.	Since January, I travel less.	Verb comparison without a stated second item
Elle travaille autant que moi.	She works as much as I do.	Equal amount of an action
Elle chante mieux que moi.	She sings better than me.	mieux modifies the verb
Cette boulangerie fait un meilleur pain.	This bakery makes better bread.	meilleur describes pain
La circulation est pire le vendredi.	Traffic is worse on Fridays.	Irregular adjective
Aujourd'hui, je me sens beaucoup mieux.	Today, I feel much better.	beaucoup strengthens the comparison

Common Mistakes

Using aussi with a noun

• Wrong: J'ai aussi de temps que toi.
• Right: J'ai autant de temps que toi.
• Why: Aussi compares qualities expressed by adjectives or adverbs. For an equal quantity of a noun, use autant de.

Forgetting de before a noun

• Wrong: Elle a plus expérience que moi.
• Right: Elle a plus d'expérience que moi.
• Why: A noun quantity requires plus de, moins de, or autant de. The form is d' before a vowel sound.

Adding plus to an irregular comparative

• Wrong: Ce restaurant est plus meilleur.
• Right: Ce restaurant est meilleur.
• Why: Meilleur already means “better.” It is the comparative of bon, so another comparative marker is unnecessary.

Confusing meilleur and mieux

• Wrong: Elle danse meilleure que moi.
• Right: Elle danse mieux que moi.
• Why: Meilleur is an adjective and describes a noun; mieux is an adverb and describes an action. Compare une meilleure danseuse with elle danse mieux.

Using a subject pronoun after que

• Wrong: Il est plus patient que je.
• Right: Il est plus patient que moi.
• Why: When the pronoun stands alone after que, use the stressed form: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, or elles.

Dropping adjective agreement

• Wrong: Ma chambre est plus grand que la tienne.
• Right: Ma chambre est plus grande que la tienne.
• Why: The comparison does not cancel normal adjective agreement. Grande is feminine singular because it describes chambre.

Usage Notes

Strengthening or softening a comparison

Add an expression before the comparative to show the size of the difference:

• beaucoup plus / beaucoup moins — much more / much less: Ce trajet est beaucoup plus court.
• un peu plus / un peu moins — a little more / a little less: Parle un peu moins vite.
• encore plus — even more: La deuxième partie est encore plus intéressante.
• nettement plus — clearly or significantly more: Cette option est nettement moins chère.

Do not normally use très directly before a comparative. Say beaucoup plus facile, not très plus facile. Très belongs with the plain adjective: très facile.

Aussi outside comparisons

Aussi can also mean “also” or “too”: Moi aussi (“Me too”). Position and context reveal the meaning. In Elle est aussi grande que sa sœur, the aussi ... que frame clearly means “as tall as.”

Pronouncing plus

The pronunciation of plus changes with context and register. In a positive comparison before a consonant, the final s is often pronounced /s/: plus grand. Before a vowel, liaison commonly gives a /z/ sound: plus intéressant. In ne ... plus meaning “no longer,” the final consonant is generally silent. Listening to whole phrases is more reliable than trying to apply one pronunciation to every occurrence.

Comparing numbers and measurements

Before a number, French commonly uses plus de and moins de: plus de vingt personnes, moins de dix euros. Here que changes the meaning: plus que vingt euros emphasizes “more than twenty euros,” often correcting or contrasting a figure, while plus de vingt euros is the ordinary statement of a threshold.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A2, but they are common in careful speech and writing.

Davantage

Davantage means “more” and can replace plus when it stands after a verb: Il devrait dormir davantage (“He should sleep more”). Before a noun, formal French may use davantage de: davantage de temps. It does not replace every plus pattern: use plus intéressant, not davantage intéressant.

The optional ne after an unequal comparison

In formal or literary French, a clause after plus ... que or moins ... que may contain an expletive ne—a ne that does not make the sentence negative:

• Le problème est plus complexe que je ne le pensais. — The problem is more complex than I thought.
• Il est arrivé plus tôt que nous ne l'espérions. — He arrived earlier than we hoped.

The sentence remains positive. This ne is often omitted in everyday speech: plus complexe que je le pensais. Do not add pas unless you intend a real negative.

Equality in negative sentences

In polished French, si ... que may replace aussi ... que after a negative:

• Ce n'est pas si simple que prévu. — It is not as simple as expected.

Everyday French also allows pas aussi simple que. Both are useful to recognize; pas aussi ... que is especially transparent for learners.

Pire, plus mauvais, and plus mal

Use pire or plus mauvais to describe a worse person, thing, or situation: un pire résultat, un résultat plus mauvais. Use plus mal for doing something worse: Il joue plus mal aujourd'hui. The form pis survives mainly in fixed expressions such as tant pis (“too bad”) and in elevated usage; it is not the everyday default for building comparisons.

Comparison versus superlative

A comparative relates two terms: Lina est plus rapide que Zoé. A superlative identifies the highest or lowest degree in a group: Lina est la plus rapide de l'équipe. The structures are related, but the superlative adds an article such as le, la, or les and usually names the group with de.

Practice Tips

1. Sort your comparisons by type. Take one topic—two cities, two jobs, or two phones—and write one adjective comparison, one noun-quantity comparison, and one verb comparison. Check whether equality needs aussi or autant.
2. Train the “better” pair in matched sentences. Say C'est un meilleur restaurant and On mange mieux ici. Linking meilleur to a noun and mieux to a verb prevents a very common mistake.
3. Listen for complete chunks. Record phrases such as plus grand que moi, moins de temps, and autant que toi. Learning the surrounding words helps with both syntax and the changing pronunciation of plus.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Adjectives — review adjective agreement before building comparisons.
• Next step: Superlative — learn how to express “the biggest,” “the least expensive,” and “the best.”