Comparisons in Portuguese

In Brief

Use mais ... (do) que for “more ... than,” menos ... (do) que for “less ... than,” and tão ... como/quanto for “as ... as.” With nouns, use tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas ... como/quanto. Four very common comparative forms are irregular: melhor (better), pior (worse), maior (bigger/older), and menor (smaller/younger).

Overview

Comparisons let you describe how two people, things, places, quantities, or actions relate to each other. Portuguese can compare a quality (mais alto, “taller”), an amount (mais tempo, “more time”), or the way an action is performed (corre mais depressa, “runs faster”). It can also state that two sides are equal: tão alto como (“as tall as”) or tantos livros como (“as many books as”).

This is an A2 topic because the basic patterns are regular and highly reusable. You already need some understanding of adjectives—words such as alto and bonita that describe a person or thing—and their agreement in gender and number. The comparison words themselves are mostly simple, but English-speaking learners need to resist translating endings such as “-er.” Portuguese normally uses a separate word: English “taller” becomes mais alto, literally “more tall.”

The beginner rule is straightforward: choose mais, menos, or an equality pattern, then add the second side of the comparison. Later sections explain alternatives such as que versus do que, the difference between tão and tanto, and cases where an irregular form is more natural.

How It Works

Comparing qualities and manners

To say that one side has more or less of a quality, place mais or menos before an adjective or adverb. An adverb is a word that describes how an action happens, such as rapidamente (“quickly”) or bem (“well”). Introduce the second side with (do) que.

Meaning	Pattern	Portuguese example	English
superiority	subject + verb + mais + adjective/adverb + (do) que + comparison	A Ana é mais alta do que o Rui.	Ana is taller than Rui.
inferiority	subject + verb + menos + adjective/adverb + (do) que + comparison	Este comboio anda menos depressa que aquele.	This train travels less quickly than that one.

Both que and do que are standard in these patterns: mais caro que and mais caro do que both mean “more expensive than.” Do que is especially useful because it makes the boundary between the two sides very clear. It is not determined by the gender of the noun: the do in do que is part of the connector here, so you do not change it to da que.

The adjective still agrees with the noun it describes:

• O quarto é mais pequeno do que a sala. — The bedroom is smaller than the living room.
• As salas são mais pequenas do que os quartos. — The living rooms are smaller than the bedrooms.

Mais and menos do not change. Portuguese does not add a comparative ending to the adjective, so forms such as alto, alta, altos, and altas keep their ordinary agreement endings.

Comparing quantities

With a noun—a word for a person, place, thing, or idea—put mais or menos directly before it:

• Tenho mais tempo do que ontem. — I have more time than yesterday.
• Há menos turistas do que no verão. — There are fewer tourists than in summer.
• Ela comprou mais livros do que eu. — She bought more books than I did.

Portuguese uses menos for both English “less” and “fewer.” There is no separate countable-noun form corresponding to English “fewer.”

A comparison can also concern the action as a whole. In A Marta estuda mais do que eu, mais means “more” or “to a greater extent,” not “more studious.” Portuguese often leaves out a repeated verb when its meaning is obvious: do que eu [estudo].

Saying that two sides are equal

Portuguese uses different equality words depending on what follows.

What is compared	Pattern	Example	Meaning
adjective	tão + adjective + como/quanto	tão calmo como o pai	as calm as his father
adverb	tão + adverb + como/quanto	tão depressa quanto ela	as quickly as she does
noun	tanto/a/os/as + noun + como/quanto	tantas perguntas como eu	as many questions as me
action or degree	verb + tanto + como/quanto	trabalha tanto quanto eu	works as much as I do

Tão is invariable: it never changes. The adjective after it still agrees normally: tão alto, tão alta, tão altos, tão altas.

Before a noun, tanto behaves like an adjective and agrees with that noun:

• tanto café — as much coffee
• tanta água — as much water
• tantos dias — as many days
• tantas pessoas — as many people

After a verb, tanto is an adverb describing the extent of the action, so it stays in the masculine singular form: Elas trabalham tanto como nós.

Both como and quanto can complete an equality comparison. Como is an easy, common choice in everyday language; quanto is equally grammatical and can make the balanced structure especially explicit.

The four common irregular comparatives

Some frequent adjectives and adverbs have established one-word comparative forms.

Basic form	Regular idea	Usual comparative	English
bom / bem	mais bom / mais bem	melhor	better
mau / mal	mais mau / mais mal	pior	worse
grande	mais grande	maior	bigger, greater, older
pequeno	mais pequeno	menor	smaller, lesser, younger

Use melhor for both “better” and “better/well in a better way”:

• Este livro é melhor. — This book is better.
• Ela canta melhor do que eu. — She sings better than I do.

Likewise, pior can describe a noun or an action: um resultado pior (“a worse result”), dormir pior (“to sleep worse”). As adjectives, melhor and pior form plurals: melhores opções, piores resultados. They do not have separate masculine and feminine forms.

Maior and menor commonly express physical size, importance, quantity understood as magnitude, or age: uma casa maior, um risco menor, a minha irmã mais velha/maior. For straightforward physical comparisons, maior/menor are concise and common, although mais pequeno is also widely used, particularly in European Portuguese. For age, mais velho/mais novo is often the clearest everyday choice; maior/menor can depend on context and variety.

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
Ele é mais alto do que eu.	He is taller than me.	Quality with mais ... do que
Lisboa é menos grande do que Tóquio.	Lisbon is less big than Tokyo.	Correct inferiority pattern; menor is often more natural
Este apartamento é menor do que o anterior.	This apartment is smaller than the previous one.	Irregular menor
A viagem foi mais longa que esperávamos.	The journey was longer than we expected.	A clause follows que
Hoje há menos trânsito do que ontem.	There is less traffic today than yesterday.	Quantity with an uncountable noun
A Inês tem mais irmãos do que eu.	Inês has more siblings than I do.	Quantity with a plural noun
Ela canta melhor do que eu.	She sings better than I do.	Irregular adverbial comparison
Depois da mudança, dormimos pior.	After the move, we sleep worse.	No second side needs to be stated
Este exercício é tão fácil como o primeiro.	This exercise is as easy as the first one.	Equality with an adjective
É tão bom como isso.	It is as good as that.	tão ... como with bom
O Pedro fala tão devagar quanto a professora.	Pedro speaks as slowly as the teacher.	Equality with an adverb
Temos tanta água como eles.	We have as much water as they do.	tanta agrees with água
Ela leu tantos capítulos quanto eu.	She read as many chapters as I did.	tantos agrees with capítulos
Os meus pais viajam tanto como nós.	My parents travel as much as we do.	Invariable adverbial tanto
O problema é mais sério do que parece.	The problem is more serious than it seems.	Comparison with a clause

Common Mistakes

Copying the English “-er” idea

• Wrong: Ele é alto que eu.
• Right: Ele é mais alto do que eu.
• Why: Portuguese normally marks the comparative with mais, not by changing the adjective itself.

Using mais bom or mais bem for an ordinary comparison

• Wrong: Este restaurante é mais bom do que aquele.
• Right: Este restaurante é melhor do que aquele.
• Why: The usual comparative of bom and bem is melhor. Special uses of mais bom and mais bem exist, but they are not the beginner default.

Confusing tão and tanto

• Wrong: Ela é tanto paciente como a mãe.
• Right: Ela é tão paciente como a mãe.
• Why: Use tão before an adjective or adverb. Use tanto with a noun or to measure an action.

Forgetting agreement with a noun

• Wrong: Tenho tanto perguntas como tu.
• Right: Tenho tantas perguntas como tu.
• Why: Before a noun, tanto agrees in gender and number. Perguntas is feminine plural, so the form is tantas.

Changing do que to match a feminine noun

• Wrong: A Ana é mais alta da que a Rita.
• Right: A Ana é mais alta do que a Rita.
• Why: In a comparative connector, do que stays fixed. Alternatively, simply use que: mais alta que a Rita.

Adding mais before an irregular comparative

• Wrong: A segunda opção é mais melhor.
• Right: A segunda opção é melhor.
• Why: Melhor already contains the meaning “more good/better.” The same warning applies to mais pior, mais maior, and mais menor in a neutral comparison.

Usage Notes

A comparison does not always need an explicit second side. Agora estou melhor means “I am better now,” with the earlier condition understood. Precisamos de uma mesa maior means “We need a bigger table,” even though the current table is not named.

When the second side is a personal pronoun, Portuguese commonly uses a subject form: do que eu, do que tu, do que ele. A repeated verb may be understood: Ela trabalha mais do que eu [trabalho]. This maps neatly to careful English “than I do,” although conversational English often says “than me.”

European and Brazilian Portuguese both use the core patterns in this article. Preference can vary between que and do que, between como and quanto, and between menor and mais pequeno, but these are usually choices of frequency or style rather than barriers to understanding. Learn one dependable pattern first—such as mais ... do que and tão ... como—then notice alternatives in real speech and writing.

English often chooses a different lexical item where Portuguese keeps the comparison transparent. For example, menos caro is literally “less expensive” and sounds natural; it need not become a separate word meaning “cheaper.” Conversely, Portuguese menos pessoas covers English “fewer people,” so English countability rules should not be transferred to Portuguese.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A2, but you will encounter them later.

The regular-looking forms mais bom, mais mau, mais grande, and mais pequeno are not all simply “wrong.” They may be used when two qualities of the same person or thing are contrasted rather than two separate entities. For example, Ele é mais trabalhador do que inteligente means “He is more hardworking than intelligent.” In a suitable contrast, speakers may also choose mais bom do que mau (“more good than bad”). Melhor remains the normal choice when two things are compared for quality: Este é melhor do que aquele.

With bem plus a past participle—a verb form used in expressions such as “well prepared”—formal usage often allows or prefers mais bem: um relatório mais bem escrito (“a better-written report”). Compare Ela escreve melhor (“She writes better”), where melhor directly describes the verb. This distinction is useful in polished writing but should not distract from the everyday A2 rule.

Numbers can trigger de rather than do que when the meaning is “more/less than” a stated quantity:

• Custou mais de cem euros. — It cost more than one hundred euros.
• Esperei menos de dez minutos. — I waited less than ten minutes.

Use do que when comparing two full sides: Custou mais do que o outro (“It cost more than the other one”). This number pattern is common and worth recognising early.

Finally, do not confuse the comparative with the superlative. A Marta é mais alta do que a Joana compares Marta with Joana. A Marta é a mais alta da turma identifies Marta as the tallest in the whole class and includes a definite article (a). That next step has its own patterns and irregular forms.

Practice Tips

1. Build three versions of one sentence. Start with O Rui é alto. Then make O Rui é mais alto do que o Pedro, menos alto do que o Pedro, and tão alto como o Pedro. This isolates the comparison pattern from new vocabulary.
2. Sort examples by what follows. If the next word is an adjective or adverb, choose tão for equality. If it is a noun, choose the agreeing form of tanto. If it describes the amount of an action, use invariable tanto.
3. Keep an irregular set of four. Review bom/bem → melhor, mau/mal → pior, grande → maior, and pequeno → menor as complete pairs. Then write one realistic sentence with each rather than memorising the words in isolation.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Adjectives — review adjective agreement before comparing qualities.
• Next step: Superlative — learn how to say “the tallest,” “the best,” and “extremely beautiful.”