Using comparatives 1 Definition The comparative is the form of an
adjective
or
adverb
that indicates that the quality being described is possessed to a greater
extent.
For example, in the sentence He is taller than I am , the
word taller is a comparative adjective ; and in the sentence He
did better than I did , the word better is a comparative
adverb .
2 Formation 2.1 Adjectives Comparative adjectives are formed in French using plus , moins
or aussi , with que acting as link word (equivalent of
than in English).
Il est plus fort que moi en
math
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He is better than me in maths
Note the irregular forms:
Table 60.2.1a: Irregular comparative adjectives
standard form comparative bon meilleur
good better
mauvais plus mauvais / pire bad worse
Note
Note that pire is less common than plus mauvais . Pire tends to have the meaning of "even worse" or else express a moral judgement, while plus mauvais tends to express a judgement of quality or quantity:
Ce restaurant est pire qu'une cantine scolaire!
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This restaurant is worse than a school cantine!
Ce restaurant est plus mauvais que celui d'à côté
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This restaurant is worse than the one opposite
En classe il est meilleur que son frère.
In class he’s better than his brother.
Les confitures de ma mère sont meilleures que celles du supermarché.
My mother’s jams are better than the supermarket’s.
Ce devoir est meilleur que le précédent.
This homework is better than the last one.
Les tisanes sont meilleures pour la santé que le café.
Herbal teas are better for you than coffee.
La situation économique est plus mauvaise que celle de l’an passé.
The economic situation is worse than it was last year.
2.2 Adverbs As with adjectives, comparative adverbs are formed using plus ,
moins or aussi , with que acting as link word
(equivalent of than in English):
Il a réagi plus calmement que
moi
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He reacted more calmly than I did
Vous devriez rouler plus lentement que sur la route principale.
You should drive more slowly than on the main road.
Elle marche plus difficilement que l’an passé.
She walks with more difficulty than she did last year.
Il parle plus gentiment à ma soeur qu’à moi.
He talks more kindly to my sister than he does to me.
Elle travaille plus efficacement que ses collègues.
She works more efficiently than her colleagues.
Selon ce sondage les hommes conduisent moins bien que les femmes.
According to the survey men drive less well than women.
Note the irregular forms:
Table 60.2.2a: Irregular comparative adverbs
standard form comparative bien mieux
well better
beaucoup plus many / a lot more peu moins little less
Il travaille mieux depuis le début de ce trimestre.
He’s been working better since the start of this term.
Il gère plus mal l’usine que son prédécesseur.
He manages the factory worse than his predecessor.
J’écris plus mal avec un stylo bille qu’avec un stylo plume.
I write worse with a ball-point pen than with a fountain pen.
Il se sent mieux qu’hier.
He feels better than he did yesterday.
Je lis plus qu’avant.
I read more than I used to.
3 Other points 3.1 Use of neutral pronoun le
Where plus , moins or aussi are followed by
que plus a verb, the verb is often preceded by the
neutral pronoun
le .
Cet étudiant est plus doué que je ne l 'ai
d'abord cru
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This student is more gifted than I first thought
3.2 Use of "expletive" ne When using plus ... que or moins ... que
followed by a
verb
, an
expletive
ne can optionally be added
before the verb without any
negative
meaning:
La situation est plus grave
que je (ne )
le croyais
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The situation is more serious than I thought
Il a réagi plus calmement que
je (ne ) le craignais
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He reacted more calmly than I feared he would
3.3 Double comparisons While English uses the before the comparative word in double
comparisons, French doesn't:
Plus je travaille, plus
je comprends
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The more I work, the
more I understand
Plus il grandit, plus il devient difficile.
The older he gets, the more difficult he’s becoming.
Plus il vieillit, plus il devient exigeant.
The older he gets, the more demanding he gets.
Plus tu essaieras, plus cela deviendra facile.
The more you try, the easier it will get.
Plus je dors, plus j’ai envie de dormir.
The more I sleep, the more I want to sleep.
Plus tu lui demanderas, plus il sera tenté d’accepter ton offre.
The more you ask him, the more he’ll be tempted to accept your offer.