8.3: Comparisons Flashcards
Both Spanish and English use __________ to indicate which of two people or things has a lesser, equal, or greater degree of a quality.
comparisons
menos interesante
less interesting
más grande
bigger
tan sabroso como
as delicious as
Comparisons of inequality are formed by placing ________ or _______ before adjectives, adverbs, and nouns and _______ after them
más; menos; que
más/menos + (_______, _______, or _______) + que
adjective; adverb; noun
Note that while English has a comparative form for __________ (taller), such forms do not exist in Spanish (más alto).
short adjectives
Comparison with adjectives:
Los bistecs son más caros que el pollo.
Steaks are more expensive than chicken.
Comparison with adjectives:
Estas uvas son menos ricas que esa pera.
These grapes are less tasty than that pear.
Comparison with adverbs:
Me acuesto más tarde que tú.
I go to bed later than you (do).
Comparison with adverbs:
Luis se despierta menos temprano que yo.
Luis wakes up less early than I (do).
Comparison with nouns:
Juan prepara más platos que José.
Juan prepares more dishes than José (does).
Comparison with nouns:
Susana come menos carne que Enrique.
Susana eats less meat than Enrique does.
Comparison with adjectives:
La ensalada es menos cara que la sopa.
Salad is less expensive than soup.
Comparison with adjectives:
¿El pollo es más rico que el jamón?
Is the chicken tastier than the salmon?
When the comparison involves a number of expressions, ____ is used before the number instead of que.
de
Comparison involving numerical expression:
Hay más de cincuenta naranjas.
There are more than fifty oranges.
Comparison involving numerical expression:
Llego en menos de diez minutos.
I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.
With verbs, this construction is used to make comparisons of inequality:
(verb) + más/menos que
Verbs with comparisons of inequality:
Mis hermanos comen más que yo.
My brothers eat more than I (do).
Verbs with comparisons of inequality:
Arturo duerme menos que su padre.
Arturo sleeps less than his father (does).
When making comparisons of equality, use the following two contructions:
tan + (_______ or _______) + como
tanto/a(s) + (__________ or __________) + como
adjective; adverb
singular noun; plural noun
These are constructions of __________:
tan + (adjective or adverb) + como
tanto/a(s) + (singular noun or plural noun) + como
equality
For constructions of equality, use tan with __________ and __________, and tanto/a(s) with __________ and __________.
adjective; adverb; singular noun; plural noun
Unlike tan, tanto acts as a(n) __________ and therefore agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies.
adjective
Comparisons of equality:
Estas uvas son tan ricas como aqéllas.
These grapes are as tasty as those (ones are).
Comparisons of equality:
Yo probé tantos platos como él.
I tried as many dishes as he (did).
Tan and tanto can also be used for __________, rather than to compare, with these meanings:
tan _______
tanto _______
tantos/as _______
emphasis; so; so much; so many
Comparisons of equality used for emphasis:
¡Tu almuerzo es tan grande!
Your lunch is so big!
Comparisons of equality used for emphasis:
¡Comes tantas manzanas!
You eat so many apples!
Comparisons of equality used for emphasis:
¡Comes tanto!
You eat so much!
Comparisons of equality used for emphasis:
¡Preparan tantos platos!
They prepare so many dishes!
Comparisons of equality with verbs are formed by placing __________ after the verb. Note that in this construction _______ does not change in number or gender.
tanto como; tanto
(verb) + tanto como
Comparisons of equality with verbs:
(verb) + __________
tanto como
Comparisons of equality with verbs:
Tú viajas tanto como mi tía.
You travel as much as my aunt (does).
Comparisons of equality with verbs:
Ellos hablan tanto como mis hermanas.
They talk as much as my sisters.
Comparisons of equality with verbs:
Sabemos tanto como ustedes.
We know as much as you (do).
Comparisons of equality with verbs:
No estudio tanto como Felipe.
I don’t study as much as Felipe (does).
For irregular comparisons, some adjectives have __________ comparative forms.
irregular
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: good : better
bueno/a : meyor
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: bad : worse
malo/a : peor
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: big : bigger
grande : mayor
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: small : smaller
pequeño/a : menor
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: young : younger
joven : menor
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
_______ : _______ :: old : older
viejo/a : mayor
When grande and pequeño/a refer to _______, the irregular comparative forms, mayor and menor, are used. However, when these adjectives refer to _______, the regular forms, más grande and más pequeño/a, are used.
age; size
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
Yo soy menor que tú.
I’m younger than you.
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
Pedí un plato más pequeño.
I ordered a smaller dish.
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
Nuestro hijo es mayor que el hijo de los Andrade.
Our son is older than the Andrades’ son.
Irregular comparative form of some adjectives:
La ensalada de Isabel es más grande que ésa.
Isabel’s salad is bigger than that one.
Irregular comparative form of some adverbs:
The adverbs bien and mal have the same irregular comparative forms as the adjectives _______ and _______.
bueno/a; malo/a
Irregular comparative form of some adverbs:
Julio nada mejor que los otros chicos.
Julio swims better than the other boys.
Irregular comparative form of some adverbs:
Ellas cantan peor que las otras chicas.
They sing worse than the other girls.
