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Grammar · B1 Intermediate

Le comparatif et le superlatif

B1 · Intermediate · 6 examples

How to compare things in French, including the irregular meilleur.

The rule

To compare things in French, use plus...que (more...than), moins...que (less...than), or aussi...que (as...as) around an adjective: Elle est plus grande que moi (She's taller than me).

For superlatives ("the most/least"), add the definite article before plus or moins: le plus grand, la plus intéressante, les moins chers.

A few adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms — most notably bon (good) becomes meilleur (better) and le meilleur (the best), not "plus bon."

Examples

  • Elle est plus grande que son frère.
    She's taller than her brother.
  • Ce livre est moins intéressant que l'autre.
    This book is less interesting than the other.
  • Il court aussi vite que moi.
    He runs as fast as me.
  • C'est le restaurant le plus cher de la ville.
    It's the most expensive restaurant in the city.
  • Ce gâteau est meilleur que le précédent.
    This cake is better than the previous one.
  • C'est la meilleure idée de la journée.
    It's the best idea of the day.

Common mistakes

  • Ce gâteau est plus bon.
    Ce gâteau est meilleur.

    "Bon" has an irregular comparative — "meilleur", not "plus bon".

  • Elle est plus grande que je.
    Elle est plus grande que moi.

    After "que" in a comparison, use the stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui) — not the subject pronoun (je, tu, il).

  • C'est plus le grand bâtiment.
    C'est le plus grand bâtiment.

    In the superlative, the article comes before "plus", not after.

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