Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Comparative constructions are used to express inequality: ‘Peter is taller

than John’, ‘Peter is more/less liberal than John’, and equality: ‘Peter is as

tall/liberal as John’.

Superlative constructions establish limits: ‘Peter is the tallest/most liberal’.

In Spanish the corresponding words are: más‘more’, menos‘less’, tan‘as’,

tanto/a/os/as‘as much/many’, and the link words que, deandcomo.

Comparisons involving adjectives or adverbs

The basic pattern

The basic pattern for expressions of inequalityinvolves más/menos+ adjec-

tive/adverb + que. For equalityit is tan+ adjective/adverb + como:

Pedro es más/menos alto que Luis.

Pedro is taller/shorter than Luis.

Pedro es tan alto como Luis.

Pedro is as tall as Luis.

Pedro conduce más/menos despacio que Luis.

Pedro drives more/less slowly than Luis.

Pedro conduce tan despacio como Luis.

Pedro drives as slowly as Luis.

Irregular comparatives

Forms

Single-word comparative forms are available for the following adjectives

and adverbs:

26.1.2.1

26.1.2

26.1.1

26.1

1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

268 41111

Chapter 26

Comparative and

superlative constructions