María es más alta que Ana.
English: María is taller than Ana.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Comparaciones, cantidad y grado
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs in Spanish are used to compare people, things, or actions, showing differences or extremes.
When to use it
Use these forms to compare qualities, quantities, or actions in Spanish, or to express the highest or lowest degree of something.
Key forms
- más + adjective/adverb + que (more ... than)
- menos + adjective/adverb + que (less ... than)
- tan + adjective/adverb + como (as ... as)
- el/la/los/las más + adjective + de (the most ... of/in)
- el/la/los/las menos + adjective + de (the least ... of/in)
Examples
Este coche es menos rápido que aquel.
English: This car is less fast than that one.
Pedro corre tan rápido como Juan.
English: Pedro runs as fast as Juan.
Es el libro más interesante de la clase.
English: It is the most interesting book in the class.
Ellos son los menos ruidosos del grupo.
English: They are the least noisy in the group.
Tips
- Remember to match the adjective's gender and number with the noun.
- Use 'que' for comparisons, but 'como' for equality.
- For adverbs, use the same structure (más/menos/tan + adverb + que/como).
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular: 'bueno' → 'mejor', 'malo' → 'peor', 'bien' → 'mejor', 'mal' → 'peor', 'joven' → 'menor', 'viejo' → 'mayor'.