Ch 18 · Lesson 17French · Chapter 18 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Mieux, plus mal, and mieux or meilleur?
gives and , never ; gives ; and give plus and . And for an action, for a noun.
The short version
.
Why?Hide
English has one better; French has two, split by what the word describes. is the adverb and modifies a verb, so . is the adjective, modifies a noun and agrees with it: . And is not the comparative of , because already means it.
Worse is ;
.
Why?Hide
The everyday comparative of is . The old form in (never mind) and (from bad to worse). And as much as is , never .
Bien, mieux, le mieux
does not take : the two fuse into .
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| (well) | | |
.- She sings better than me..- I'm feeling better today..- He's the one who plays best.
Only fuses. and are normal:
.- I've been sleeping less well since Monday..- He speaks as well as you.
Mal, beaucoup, peu
| Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| (badly) | | |
| (a lot) | | |
| (little) | | |
Everyday "worse" is . The old form survives only in set phrases; in speech you will also hear used this way, which careful French avoids.
.- He's playing worse than last week., .- Never mind, we'll go without him..- It's going from bad to worse.
and after a verb are the comparatives of and :
.- I work more than him..- I'm the one who eats the most..- She goes out less than before.
As much as is , never : . - He works as much as me.
Mieux or meilleur?
English says better for both. French asks what it describes.
| Word | Describes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an action (a verb) | . - She sings better. | |
| a thing (a noun) | - a better idea |
has one form; agrees with its noun. The superlatives split the same way:
.- She's the one who sings best..- She's the best pupil in the class.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | an action takes |
| | a noun takes |
| | plus + fuse |
| | the adverb never agrees |
| | as much as |
| | stressed pronoun after |
Going further: At a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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