Tips 025: How Do You Compare? An Introduction To Spanish Comparatives

In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, we will be looking at Spanish comparatives.

If you can’t yet make a comparison between one thing and another in Spanish then this tip will be valuable to you. Making comparisons is something that we do every day and it’s one of the best ways to explain to somebody things about your life, your country, your friends, your job or anything that requires a measure against something else to be better understood.

There are three groups of Spanish comparatives. The first group is used for saying something is more than something else. This could mean something is bigger, wider, taller, stronger etc. The next group is used for saying something is less than something else. And the last group is saying something is as much as, as big as, as small as, as smart as etc.

Spanish Comparative Constructions:

– Something is more than something else

• Más + adjectivo + que
• Más + sustantivo + que
• Verbo + más que

– Something is less than something else

• Menos + adjectivo + que
• Menos + sustantivo + que
• Verbo + menos que

– Something is as much as something else

• Tan + adjectivo + como
• Tanto/a/os/as + sustantivo + como
• Verb + tanto como

Examples from today’s episode:

The United States is much bigger than Spain – Los Estados Unidos son más grandes que España

Spain has more inhabitants than Australia – España tiene más habitantes que Australia

Europe is colder than Australia in January – Europa es más frío que Australia en enero

He is more handsome than his brother – Él es más guapo que su hermano

You study more than me – Tú estudias más que yo

Pedro has more books than Juan – Pedro tiene más libros que Juan

Marco has more energy than a bull – Marco tiene más energía que un toro

I listen to less music than you – Yo escucho menos música que tú

My sister is (less tall) or shorter than me – Mi hermana es menos alta que yo

He is quite a lot less silly than me – Él es bastante menos tonto que yo

The coffee is less delicious than chocolate – El café es menos delicioso que el chocolate

She is as beautiful as her sister – Ella es tan guapa como su hermana

I am as tall as you – Soy tan alto como tú

She is as smart as her mother – Ella es tan lista como su madre

Sonia spends as many hours as Nicolas at work – Sonia pasa tantas horas como Nicolás en el trabajo

We eat as much meat as the United States – Comemos tanta carne como Estados Unidos

I drink as much wine as beer – Bebo tanto vino como cerveza

We study as much as them – Estudiamos tanto como ellos

She eats as much as her brother – Ella come tanto como su hermano

This episodes quote:

“Nada hay más surreal que la realidad.” – Salvador Dali

What will you compare and to what?

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