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Comparative Adjectives

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Comparative adjectives in Spanish show how one thing is greater, less, or equal in a quality compared to another. Unlike English, Spanish uses specific words (más, menos, tan) plus the adjective to make comparisons. The nouns being compared appear after que, except in equal comparisons, where como is used. Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor) must be memorized.

How to Form Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives in Spanish are formed using three patterns:
  1. More/Less … than: use más … que (more … than) or menos … que (less … than).
    1. Example: Ella es más alta que Juan. (She is taller than Juan.)
  2. As … as: use tan … como to express equality.
    1. Example: Él es tan rápido como su hermano. (He is as fast as his brother.)
  3. Irregular Comparatives:
    1. mejor (better)
    2. peor (worse)
    3. mayor (older)
    4. menor (younger)
    5. These do not use más or menos; simply use the irregular form plus que.
    6. Example: Mi hermana es mejor que yo en matemáticas. (My sister is better than me at math.)

Rules for Agreement

  • The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes.
  • más, menos, and tan never change.
  • Examples:
    • Ella es más alta que su hermano.* (feminine singular)
    • Ellos son menos inteligentes que sus compañeros.* (masculine plural)
    • María es tan trabajadora como Ana.* (feminine singular)

Examples of Comparative Adjectives in Sentences

Here are some examples showing more/less/as comparisons in different contexts:
  • Más … que (more … than)
    • Este coche es más rápido que aquel.* (That car is faster than that one.)
  • Menos … que (less … than)
    • Soy menos paciente que tú.* (I am less patient than you.)
  • Tan … como (as … as)
    • Mi casa es tan grande como la tuya.* (My house is as big as yours.)
  • Irregular Comparatives
    • Juan es mejor jugador que Pedro.* (Juan is a better player than Pedro.)
    • Ana es menor que su hermana.* (Ana is younger than her sister.)

Juan es mejor jugador que Pedro.


Juan is a better player than Pedro.

mejor ... que means 'better ... than' without using más; jugador means 'player' (masculine singular).

Summary

  • Use más … que for 'more … than.'
  • Use menos … que for 'less … than.'
  • Use tan … como for 'as … as.'
  • Irregular comparatives: mejor, peor, mayor, menor (do not use más/menos)
  • Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun.
Using these patterns, you can compare people, places, things, and ideas in Spanish with confidence.

Which irregular comparatives do NOT use más or menos in Spanish?


mejor, peor, mayor, menor

mejor, peor, mayor, and menor are irregular comparatives that stand alone with que.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

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