Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives describe how one thing is more, less, or equally notable than another, and they shape vivid comparisons in Spanish.
Key Vocabulary
Familiar comparative terms help you signal comparisons clearly when describing people, places, or things.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| más | more |
| menos | less |
| tan | as |
| como | like / as |
| que | than |
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌆 La ciudad es grande. | The city is large. |
| 🏠 Mi casa es pequeña. | My house is small. |
| 🚗 Este coche es rápido. | This car is fast. |
| 🐢 La tortuga es lenta. | The turtle is slow. |
| 🍎 La manzana es dulce. | The apple is sweet. |
| 🍋 El limón es ácido. | The lemon is sour. |
| 🧱 La pared es fuerte. | The wall is strong. |
| 🧸 El muñeco es débil. | The doll is weak. |
| 🏔️ La montaña es alta. | The mountain is tall. |
| 🌳 El árbol es bajo. | The tree is short. |
Formation
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, so comparatives must match the noun to keep the sentence natural.
Usage
Use más or menos plus the adjective for straightforward comparisons, and use tan ... como for equal comparisons with adjectives.
Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌇 La ciudad es más grande que el pueblo. | The city is bigger than the town. |
| 🏠 Mi casa es más pequeña que la de mi amigo. | My house is smaller than my friend’s. |
| 🚗 Este coche es más rápido que ese. | This car is faster than that one. |
| 🐢 La tortuga es más lenta que el perro. | The turtle is slower than the dog. |
| 🍎 La manzana es más dulce que la naranja. | The apple is sweeter than the orange. |
| 🍋 El limón es más ácido que la lima. | The lemon is more sour than the lime. |
| 🧱 La pared es más fuerte que la puerta. | The wall is stronger than the door. |
| 🧸 El muñeco es más débil que el robot. | The doll is weaker than the robot. |
| 🏔️ La montaña es más alta que la colina. | The mountain is taller than the hill. |
| 🌳 El árbol es más bajo que el edificio. | The tree is shorter than the building. |
Special Cases
Some adjectives have short forms or change meaning slightly in comparative contexts, so pay attention to commonly used exceptions.
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧑 Es mejor cambiar de lugar que quedarse aquí. | It’s better to change places than to stay here. |
| 🧑 Fue peor cuando empezó a llover en la mudanza. | It was worse when it started raining on the move. |
| 🧑 Hay más cajas de las que pensé. | There are more boxes than I thought. |
| 🧑 Hay menos espacio en el nuevo departamento. | There is less space in the new apartment. |
| 🧑 Esta calle está más cerca que la anterior. | This street is closer than the previous one. |
| 🧑 El garaje está más lejos del edificio. | The garage is farther from the building. |
Summary
Comparative adjectives let you highlight differences and similarities clearly; practice forming them with market vocabulary to make descriptions vivid.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025