Spanish Comparatives: A Complete Guide to Adjectives of Superiority and Inferiority
Making comparisons is an essential part of everyday communication in any language. In Spanish, the comparative forms of adjectives follow specific patterns that are relatively straightforward once you understand the basics. Let's explore how to form and use adjectives of superiority and inferiority in Spanish.
Adjectives of Superiority
They refer to comparisons in a superior form. It is exactly like when in English, people say "more+adjective+than".
Sentence structure of this type:
Subject+ verb to be+ más + adjective+ que+complement
Sujeto+ verbo "ser"+ más+ adjetivo+ que+ complemento
Let's see how they are formed in Spanish.
Juan es más alto que Hugo
Juan is taller than Hugo
Additional Examples of Adjectives of Superiority
El océano es más profundo que el lago
The ocean is deeper than the lake
Las matemáticas son más complicadas que el inglés
Mathematics is more complicated than English
Mi hermana es más joven que yo
My sister is younger than me
Este libro es más interesante que esa película
This book is more interesting than that movie
El diamante es más valioso que el oro
Diamond is more valuable than gold
Important Note: Unlike English, which has irregular comparative forms (good → better, bad → worse), Spanish typically maintains the regular "más + adjective + que" structure for most adjectives. The main exceptions are:
- bueno (good) → mejor (better)
- malo (bad) → peor (worse)
- grande (big) → mayor (bigger/older, in some contexts)
- pequeño (small) → menor (smaller/younger, in some contexts)
Practice
Using the adjectives below, write sentences in a comparison of superiority form.
Adjectives of Inferiority
Although in Spanish they are less used, compared with the superiority form, the expressions with them are as follows:
La biblioteca es menos grande que la librería
The library is less big than the bookstore.
Additional Examples of Adjectives of Inferiority
El té es menos fuerte que el café
Tea is less strong than coffee
La bicicleta es menos costosa que el carro
The bicycle is less expensive than the car
Esta película es menos entretenida que la anterior
This movie is less entertaining than the previous one
Las clases de verano son menos intensas que las regulares
Summer classes are less intense than regular ones
Grammar Tip: The structure for inferiority follows this pattern: subject + verb + "menos" + adjective + "que" + complement. Remember that Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:
- La casa es menos cara (feminine singular)
- Los libros son menos interesantes (masculine plural)
- Las películas son menos largas (feminine plural)
Practice
Write the same exercises of comparative of superiority form, for inferiority one.
Common Adjectives for Comparisons in Spanish
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| bonito/a | pretty | La rosa es más bonita que la margarita The rose is prettier than the daisy |
| fácil | easy | El español es menos fácil que el inglés para algunos Spanish is less easy than English for some |
| difícil | difficult | El japonés es más difícil que el italiano Japanese is more difficult than Italian |
| caro/a | expensive | El oro es más caro que la plata Gold is more expensive than silver |
| pesado/a | heavy | El plomo es más pesado que el aluminio Lead is heavier than aluminum |
| interesante | interesting | La historia es menos interesante que la ciencia para él History is less interesting than science for him |
| divertido/a | fun | Los juegos de mesa son más divertidos que los videojuegos para ella Board games are more fun than video games for her |
| importante | important | La familia es más importante que el trabajo Family is more important than work |
Special Cases and Exceptions
While most Spanish comparisons follow the regular patterns shown above, there are a few special cases to be aware of:
Irregular comparative forms:
- bueno (good) → mejor que (better than)
- malo (bad) → peor que (worse than)
- grande (big) → mayor que (bigger/older than) - used for age or importance
- pequeño (small) → menor que (smaller/younger than) - used for age or importance
Examples:
Esta película es mejor que la otra
This movie is better than the other one
Su situación económica es peor que la nuestra
Their economic situation is worse than ours
Mi hermano es mayor que yo
My brother is older than me
Homework
You learned adjectives of superiority and inferiority in Spanish. Please feel free to use anything from these contents in your daily practice. I'm sharing a part of my book's contents for free here.
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