Comparatives And Superlatives Flashcards
What are comparatives
It is natural to make comparisons among people and things, and, at times, we are called upon to make evaluations.
Terms that indicate greater, equal, and lesser are: plus (more), aussi (as), and moins (less).
More
Plus
As
Aussi
Less
Moins
What precedes comparative with adjectives
Que/qu’ always precedes the element being compared. When a pronoun is needed, a stressed pronoun follows que.
- ) [We are] [taller than] [he is]
- ) [We are] [as tall as] [he is]
- ) [We are] [shorter than] [he is]
1a. ) [We are] [taller than] [he is]
1b. ) [Nous sommes][plus grands que][lui]
2a. ) [We are] [as tall as] [he is]
2b. ) [Nous sommes][aussi grands que][lui]
3a. ) [We are] [shorter than] [he is]
3b. ) [Nous sommes][moins grands que][lui]
I am poorer than Mr. Buffett
Je suis plus pauvre que M. Buffett.
Adam is less strong (weaker) than you (are).
Adam est moins fort que toi.
They are as intelligent as you (all) (are).
Elles sont aussi intelligentes que vous.
What precedes comparatives with nouns?
When nouns are compared, de/d’ always precedes the noun. The expression of equality, autant de, is used instead of aussi.
The comparative with nouns
[I have][more][cousins that she (has)]
[I have][as many][cousins as she (has)]
[I have][fewer][cousins that she (has)]
1a. ) [I have][more][cousins that she (has)]
1b. ) [J’ai][plus de][cousins qu’elle]
2a. )[I have][as many][cousins as she (has)]
2b. ) [J’ai][autant de][cousins qu’elle]
3a. ) [I have][fewer][cousins that she (has)]
3b. ) [J’ai][moins de][cousins qu’elle]
Maurice has more free time than I (do).
Maurice a plus de temps libre que moi
I don’t have as much money as my brother
Je n’ai pas autant d’argent que mon frère
My father does fewer errands than my mother
Mon père fait moins de courses que ma mère
Comparing verbs use what? and is followed by what part of the sentence?
When you compare action verbs, use plus que (more than), autant que (as much as), and moins que (less than) after the verb. Que/qu’ is followed by a noun, a stressed pronoun, an adverb of time, or another verb.
- Khaled travaille plus que Fatima. (Khaled worse more than Fatima)
- Jeanne étudie autant que moi. (Jean studies as much as I (do))
- Ma grand-mère lit moins qu’avant. (My grandmother reads less than before)
- Nous skiions autant que nous travaillons! (We ski as much as we work!)
Which articles are always used in French superlative constructions?
The definite article le/la/les is always used in French superlative construc- tions. It matches the noun in gender and number.
Where is the location of superlatives of adjectives in the sentence?
In the superlative, adjectives, preceded by le/la/les, keep their position before or after the noun. When the adjective follows the noun, the definite article is repeated after the noun. The preposition de/d’ expresses in or of (a place or a group).
- Jean est intelligent
- Micheline est plus intelligent que Jean
- Claire est (l’étudiante) la plus intelligent des trois
- Josée est la moins travailleuse (Joséeis the least hardworking)
- Voici le plus jeune membre de ma famille (Here’s the youngest member of my family)
- Quelle est la plus belle île du monde? (Which is the most beautiful island in the world)
Superlative of nouns are preceded by what? What is also used in the sentence?
In the superlative, nouns are preceded by le moins de (the least) or le plus de (the most). Use de/d’ (of or in) before the name of the place or the group.
- Marc fait le moins de devoirs de la classe! (Marc does the least homework in the class!)
- M. Gates a le plus d’argent de tous. (Mr. Gates has the most money of everyone)
Superlative of nouns
The least
Le moins de
Superlative of nouns
The most
Le plus de
Superlative of nouns
Of or in
De/d’
What do you use for the superlative of verbs
To express the superlative of verbs, simply use le plus (the most) or le moins (the least) after the verb, always with the impersonal singular le:
Moi, je travaille le moins. (Me, I work the least)
C’est l’émission qu’elle regarde le plus. (That’s the program she watches (the) most.
Voilà ce qui leur plaît le plus. (That’s what they like best [what pleases them most])
Irregular comparative of •good •bad •small •better •worse •worse •smaller
Irregular comparative of •good= Bon(ne)(s) •bad= mauvais(e)(s) •small= petit(e)(s) •better= meilleur(e)(s) •worse= plus mauvais(e)(s) •worse= pire(s) •smaller= plus petit(e)(s)
Irregular superlative
•The best
•The worst
•The least
Irregular superlative
•The best= le/la/les meilleurs(e)(s)
•The worst= le/la/les plus mauvais(e)(s) or le/la/les pire(s)
•The least= le/la/les moindre(s)
What are comparatives and superlatives of adverbs formed by?
Comparatives of adverbs are formed with plus/aussi/moins… que (more . . . than/as . . . as/less . . . than), as they are with adjectives.
- Fait-elle la cuisine plus souvent que toi? (Does she do the cooking more often than you?)
- Tu joues au golf aussi bien que Richard. (You play golf as well as Richard)
- Le politicien parle moins bien que mon prof. (The politician speaks less well than my teacher.)
- Je cours moins vite qu’eux. (I run slower [less fast] than they [do])
What is before the adverb in the superlative form? The article is always?
In the superlative form of an adverb, le plus or le moins precedes the adverb. The article is always le.
- Ce cheval-là court le plus lentement! (That horse is running the slowest!)
- Moi, je vais au cinéma le moins I go to the movies the least often. souvent. (I go to the movies the least often.)
Better and best are
Mieux (better) and le mieux (best) are irregular comparatives of the adverb bien (well).
Well
Bien
Better
Mieux
The best
Le mieux
- Arthur danse mieux que moi, et Mireille danse le mieux. (Arthur dances better than I do, and Mireille dances the best.)
Bad(ly)
Mal
Worse
Plus mal
The worst
Le plus mal
- Tu ne danses pas très bien, et moi, je danse plus mal (moins bien) que toi! (You don’t dance very well, and I dance worse than you!)
