French Comparatives

The comparative structure is a sandwich: a marker word (plus, , ) before the adjective, after. The adjective still agrees with the noun.

The three markers

Marker	Meaning	Example
plus	more	plus grand (taller than)
	less	(less expensive than)
	as	grand (as tall as)

plus . (Marie is taller than Pierre.)
l'. (This book is less interesting than the other.)
l'. (French is as difficult as Spanish.)

The adjective agrees with the subject (the thing being compared): plus because Marie is feminine.

Comparing nouns: plus de, moins de, autant de

With a noun instead of an adjective, the marker takes and the equality marker shifts from aussi to .

Marker	Meaning	Example
plus	more	plus d' (more money than)
	less	(less time than)
	as much	d' (as many friends as)

J' plus . (I have more books than you.)
a patience . (She has less patience than me.)
d' . (We have as many ideas as you.)

The here is the same article-collapsing as in quantity expressions (beaucoup de pain).

Comparing verbs: plus, moins, autant

With verbs, the marker stands alone - no needed.

plus . (I work more than you.)
. (She sleeps less than me.)
son . (He eats as much as his brother.)

The three irregulars

Three French adjectives / adverbs have irregular comparative forms that don't take plus.

Word	Comparative	English
(adj)		better
(adj)		worse
(adv)		better (adverb)

agrees with the noun:

(a better book)
(a better idea)
(the best students)
(the best marks)

has only two forms: pire (singular), pires (plural). No gender agreement.

C' . (It's worse than I thought.)
. (The worst news.)

is invariable - one form, no agreement.

. (She speaks better than me.)
? (Are you feeling better?)
tennis . (He plays tennis better now.)

The bon / bien split mirrors English good / well: bon is the adjective, bien is the adverb. Same split for the comparatives.

You can also say plus alongside in many contexts - both are acceptable, with slightly more formal.

Superlatives (briefly)

The superlative (the most, the least) wraps the comparative in a definite article.

plus . (Marie is the tallest in the class.)
C' . (It's the least interesting book.)
. (She speaks the best.)

The superlative is technically Higher-tier on the AQA list. Recognise it; you don't have to produce it confidently at Foundation level.

Worked examples

plus l'. (This car is faster than the other.)
l'. (French is as beautiful as Italian.)
J' '. (I have less time than before.)
C' . (It's a better idea.)
. (You cook better than me.)
' '. (Today it's going better than yesterday.)

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using plus instead of : plus is wrong, it's . The same goes for plus , which should be . Forgetting the agreement on : is wrong, it's . And mixing up the noun and verb structures - plus with a noun, plain plus with a verb.

Paul est grand que son frère. (taller than)
Mon ami est grand que l'autre. (less big than)
Mon père est fort que mon frère. (as strong as)
Mon fils est jeune que l'autre. (younger than)
Mon ami est vieux que l'autre. (less old than)
Paul est beau que son frère. (as handsome as)
Cette voiture est grande que l'autre. (bigger than)
Ce livre est vieux que l'autre. (less old than)
Ma soeur est forte que moi. (as strong as)

Fill in the blank

0/9

Fill the gap with the right comparative form. Watch the irregulars: use meilleur (with the correct agreement) for the adjective 'better', and mieux for the adverb 'better'.

C'est une idée. (a better idea) (adjective, feminine singular)
Ce sont les amis. (the best friends) (adjective, masculine plural)
Elle parle que moi. (she speaks better than me) (adverb, invariable)
Mon frère est grand que moi. (taller than) (marker before the adjective)
J'ai de temps qu'avant. (less time than before) (with a noun, the marker takes de)
Il mange que son frère. (he eats as much as his brother) (equality marker with a verb)
Ce sont les idées. (the best ideas) (adjective, feminine plural)
Il joue que moi. (he plays better than me) (adverb, invariable)
J'ai d'amis que toi. (more friends than you) (with a noun, the marker takes de)

Translation drill

0/9

Translate into French, choosing the right marker and the right irregular (meilleur for the adjective, mieux for the adverb).

Paul is taller than my brother.
This friend is less old than the other.
It's a better idea.
She speaks better than me.
I have less time than before.
This car is bigger than the other.
My sister is as strong as me.
He plays better than his brother.
I have more friends than you.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'more than' in French?

Plus + adjective + que. 'Marie est plus grande que Pierre' (Marie is taller than Pierre). 'Ce livre est plus intéressant que l'autre' (This book is more interesting than the other). The adjective still has to agree with the subject in gender and number ('elle est plus grande' uses the feminine form). For 'less than', swap plus for moins; for 'as ... as', use aussi ... que.

What is the difference between meilleur and mieux in French?

Meilleur is the adjective ('better'), used with nouns - 'un meilleur livre' (a better book), 'une meilleure idée' (a better idea), 'les meilleurs étudiants' (the best students). Mieux is the adverb ('better' as in 'more skilfully'), used with verbs - 'elle parle mieux que moi' (she speaks better than me), 'je vais mieux' (I'm doing better). Same word in English, two words in French. Same split applies to 'best': the best (adjective) is le meilleur / la meilleure, the best (adverb) is le mieux.