Kilo Lingo
French grammar Part of Chapter 7

CEFR A1-A2

4 min read

Test yourself (30 questions)

French Comparatives: plus, moins, aussi, meilleur, mieux

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

A French comparative is a sandwich: a marker before the adjective (, or ), then . The adjective still agrees with its noun. Nouns and verbs use the same markers with small changes, and three words have their own irregular forms.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the marker that fits the English gloss. It sits before the adjective, with que after.

  1. Mon frère est grand que moi. (taller than)

  2. Mon ami est grand que l'autre. (less tall than)

  3. Mon père est fort que mon frère. (as strong as)

Comparatives at a glance

The whole system on one screen. Find what you are comparing in the first column.

plus (more)moins (less)aussi, autant (as)feminine agreementplural agreementthe irregular formWhat do the colours mean?
ComparingPatternExample
An adjectiveplus / / + - taller than me
A nounplus / / - more books
A verbverb + plus / / . - He sleeps as much.
, , - a better book
(or plus ) - it's worse

The marker colour stays the same all page long: more, less, or as.

Comparing adjectives: plus, moins, aussi ... que

Put the marker before the adjective and before the second thing.

Three degrees of tall
LessMore
  1. moins grand queless tall than
  2. aussi grand queas tall as
  3. plus grand quetaller than
MarkerExampleEnglish
.He's taller than me.
.This book is less expensive.
.He's as strong as his father.
The same smiling golden dog drawn three times side by side on the grass: a tiny one, a normal-sized one and a huge one that fills half the picture.

Compared with the middle dog, the small one is moins grand (less big) and the huge one plus grand (bigger).

After , a pronoun takes its stressed form, and becomes ' before a vowel:

  • - taller than me
  • - younger than before

The adjective still agrees

The comparative changes nothing about agreement. The adjective matches the noun it describes, not the second half.

  • . - My brother is taller than me.
  • . - My sister is taller than me.
  • . - This car is less expensive than the other one.

The French adjective agreement guide has every ending.

Comparing nouns: plus de, moins de, autant de

plus (more)moins (less)autant (as much, as many)What do the colours mean?

With a noun, the marker takes (' before a vowel), and the "as" marker changes from to .

MarkerExampleEnglish
.I have more books than you.
.She has less time than me.
.He has as much money as his brother.

The never changes, whatever the noun: , never . It is the same as in (a lot of time).

Comparing verbs: plus, moins, autant

With a verb, the marker comes after it and stands alone, with no .

  • . - I work more than you.
  • . - She sleeps less than me.
  • . - He eats as much as his brother.

So "as ... as" has three forms: with an adjective, after a verb, before a noun.

Better and worse: meilleur, mieux, pire

the irregular formfeminine agreementplural agreementWhat do the colours mean?

Two short words do not take : (good) and (well). Each fuses with it into a new word.

plus + bon = meilleur, better (adjective)
plus + bien = mieux, better (adverb)
WordComparativeExample
(good) . - This book is better.
(well) . - She sings better.
(bad) . - It's worse than yesterday.

English says better for both, so ask what it describes. A thing takes ; an action takes .

  • . - It's a better film. (the film)
  • . - He speaks better than me. (the speaking)
  • . - I'm feeling better.

meilleur agrees, mieux never does

is an adjective, so it takes the feminine and plural endings. has one form.

MasculineFeminineEnglish
a better book, idea
the best friends

has the same form for both genders, in the plural: - the worst ideas. is also correct, and common for concrete quality: . - This wine is worse than the other one.

Only fuses. and are normal French: . - This film is not as good as the book.

The superlative, in one line

Put , or in front of the comparative and it becomes "the most":

  • . - My sister is the tallest.
  • . - It's the best film.

The French superlatives guide covers position and for "in".

Common mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
plus + is
plus + is
agrees
every comparative takes
plain before a noun
with a verb
stressed pronoun after

What to do next

  1. Say three sentences comparing people you know: , , .
  2. Before every better, ask "a thing or an action?" and pick or .
  3. Read the comparing adverbs guide for and .

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the marker that fits the English gloss. It sits before the adjective, with que after.

  1. Mon frère est grand que moi. (taller than)

  2. Mon ami est grand que l'autre. (less tall than)

  3. Mon père est fort que mon frère. (as strong as)

  4. Mon fils est jeune que l'autre. (younger than)

  5. Ce livre est vieux que l'autre. (less old than)

  6. Ma sœur est forte que moi. (as strong as)

Sort into groups

0/9

As ... as: which word goes with each? aussi before an adjective, autant after a verb, autant de before a noun.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Build the word

0/4

Build the form that agrees with the noun.

  1. Ma sœur est plus ___ que moi. (grand)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. C'est une ___ idée. (better)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. Ce sont les ___ amis. (best)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. Ce sont de ___ idées. (better)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Translation drill

0/6

Translate into French, choosing the right marker and the right irregular.

  1. My brother is taller than me.

  2. It's a better idea.

  3. She speaks better than me.

  4. I have less time than before.

  5. My sister is as strong as me.

  6. I have more friends than you.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

French · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Part of Kilo Lingo Plus

Printables beyond chapters 1 and 2 are part of Kilo Lingo Plus. Sign up free and start your free week to download as many as you like: no card.

Start your free week (no card)

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'more than' in French?
Plus + adjective + : (my brother is taller than me). The adjective still agrees with the subject, so a feminine subject takes the feminine form: . For 'less than', swap plus for ; for 'as ... as', use ... .
What is the difference between and in French?
is the adjective 'better' and describes a noun, agreeing with it: , , . is the adverb 'better' and describes a verb, with one form only: (she sings better than me), (I'm feeling better). Ask what 'better' describes: a thing takes , an action takes .
What is the difference between and in French?
goes with adjectives and adverbs: (he is as tall as me). goes with verbs, and with nouns: (he works as much as me), (I have as many books as you). English says as ... as for all three; French splits by what is being compared.
Can you say in French?
No. is the classic learner error: , not . is just as wrong; it is always : . and are perfectly correct, because only plus fuses with and .
Is it or in French?
Both exist. is the usual comparative of , above all for abstract things getting worse: (it's worse than yesterday). is also correct and common for concrete quality, such as food or weather: . Learn first; you will hear both.