French Comparative and Superlative: Plus, Moins, Aussi... Que

Getting Started — Comparing Two Things

After Object Pronouns, it’s time to learn how to compare two things — “this is bigger”, “this is smaller”, “both are equal”, or “this is the best”. In English we add suffixes like ‘bigger’/‘biggest’, but French adds no suffix at all — it just uses the words ‘plus/moins/aussi’ with the adjective.

Comparative — Comparing Two Things

Structure: plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que

Note! Adjective agreement: The adjective still has to agree with the noun’s gender/number in a comparison, exactly like Adjective Agreement:

• “Il est plus grand.” (masc.) → “Elle est plus grande.” (fem.)
• “Ils sont plus grands.” (masc. pl.) → “Elles sont plus grandes.” (fem. pl.)

Superlative — The Most / The Least

Structure: le/la/les + plus/moins + adjective

Note! The article is required: The superlative always needs the article ‘le/la/les’, and it agrees with the noun’s gender/number — this is what tells a superlative apart from a comparative.

• “Paris est plus grand que Lyon.” (comparative — comparing two cities)
• “Paris est la plus grande ville de France.” (superlative — the biggest across all of France)

Irregular Forms: BON, BIEN, MAUVAIS

Three common words don’t follow the regular comparative/superlative pattern:

• “Ce restaurant est meilleur que l’autre.” → This restaurant is better than the other. (adjective describing ‘restaurant’)
• “Elle chante mieux que moi.” → She sings better than me. (adverb describing ‘chante’)
• “C’est le meilleur jour de ma vie!” → It’s the best day of my life! (superlative)

Test for ‘bon’ vs. ‘bien’: If a noun is being described (a person, a thing), use ‘meilleur’ (the comparative of bon); if a verb is being described (an action), use ‘mieux’ (the comparative of bien).

Real Examples

1. Comparing Cities and Places

• “Montréal est plus grand que Québec.” → Montreal is bigger than Quebec City.
• “L’hiver ici est aussi froid qu’au Pendjab? Non, il est beaucoup plus froid.” → Is winter here as cold as in Punjab? No, it’s much colder.

2. Shopping

• “Ce manteau est moins cher que celui-là.” → This coat is less expensive than that one.
• “C’est le moins cher du magasin.” → It’s the cheapest in the store.

3. Everyday Conversation

• “Mon frère est plus jeune que moi.” → My brother is younger than me.
• “C’est la meilleure décision que j’ai prise.” → It’s the best decision I’ve made.
• “Je parle mieux français qu’avant.” → I speak French better than before.

Practice — For Mastery

Exercise: Form the Comparative

1. “Ce livre / cher / cet autre livre” (+) → Ce livre est plus cher que cet autre livre.
2. “Elle / grande / son frère” (=) → Elle est aussi grande que son frère.
3. “Cette ville / bruyante / Paris” (−) → Cette ville est moins bruyante que Paris.

Exercise: Form the Superlative

1. “C’est ___ (grand) bâtiment de la ville.” → le plus grand
2. “C’est ___ (bonne) réponse.” → la meilleure

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Moving Forward

Today’s takeaway: You can now compare two things and say what’s the most/least — very useful for comparing cities, prices, and people. Next, we’ll learn Adjective Placement (the BAGS rule — which adjectives come before the noun).

Your challenge: Every day, build 5 comparisons — about your family, cities, or shopping. Use ‘plus/moins/aussi’ in turn.