🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What are Comparative and Superlative Forms?

Comparative forms compare two nouns or people — 'more beautiful,' 'less tall,' or 'as fast.' Superlative forms rank one noun as the highest or lowest — 'the most beautiful,' 'the least tall.' French uses plus (more), moins (less), and aussi (as) for comparatives, and le plus / le moins for superlatives.

Short answer

Comparatives use plus/moins/aussi + adjective to compare two things: 'Marie est plus grande que Pierre' (Marie is taller than Pierre). Superlatives use le/la/les plus/moins + adjective to show the highest/lowest rank: 'Marie est la plus grande' (Marie is the tallest).

Comparative vs Superlative

1
Comparative
Compares TWO nouns. plus/moins/aussi + adj. + que. Marie est plus grande que Pierre.
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2
Superlative
Ranks ONE noun as first/last. le/la/les plus/moins + adj. Marie est la plus grande.

Step-by-step worked examples

Form the comparative: 'Marie is more intelligent than Jean.'

Identify the adjective: 'intelligent'
Form comparative: plus + adjective + que
English: Marie is more intelligent than Jean.
French: Marie est plus intelligente que Jean.
Note: 'intelligente' agrees with 'Marie' (feminine).

Form the superlative: 'Of all the students, Sophie is the smartest.'

Identify adjective: 'smart' (intelligent)
Form superlative: le/la/les + plus + adjective (agreement with noun)
French: Sophie est la plus intelligente de tous les étudiants.
Note: 'la plus intelligente' — 'la' agrees with Sophie (feminine), 'intelligente' also agrees.

Form the comparative with 'moins': 'This book is less interesting than that one.'

Adjective: 'interesting' (intéressant)
Comparative with moins: moins + adj. + que
French: Ce livre est moins intéressant que celui-là.
Note: 'moins' means 'less' — the opposite of 'plus.'

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.Form the comparative: 'Sarah's house is bigger than Tom's.'

Correct answer: A. Comparative structure: plus + adj. + que. Option 0 is the correct comparative.

Q2.Which superlative is correct: 'Pierre is the smartest student.'

Correct answer: B. Superlative uses 'le plus' + adjective. Option 1 is correct.

Q3.'Moins' in a comparative means…

Correct answer: C. 'Moins' = 'less' — opposite of 'plus' (more).

Q4.'Aussi' comparative structure is…

Correct answer: A. 'Aussi' (as) uses 'aussi ... que' for equality: 'aussi grand que' (as tall as).

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Common mistakes

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Forgetting to agree the adjective in superlatives. — Correct: Superlative agrees with noun: 'la plus grande' (f.s.), 'le plus grand' (m.s.), 'les plus grands' (plural).

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Confusing 'plus' (more) with 'le plus' (the most). — Correct: 'Plus...que' is comparative (more...than). 'Le plus' is superlative (the most).

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Using 'comme' instead of 'que' in comparatives. — Correct: Comparative: 'plus...que' (more...than), not 'plus...comme'.

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Not recognizing 'aussi...que' as an equality comparison. — Correct: 'Aussi grand que' = 'as tall as' (equality). Different from 'plus grand que' (taller than).

FAQ

What are comparative and superlative forms?

Comparatives (plus/moins/aussi + adjective) compare two nouns. Superlatives (le/la/les plus/moins) rank one as highest/lowest.

How do you form a comparative?

plus/moins/aussi + adjective + que + noun. Example: 'Marie est plus grande que Pierre' (Marie is taller than Pierre).

How do you form a superlative?

le/la/les plus/moins + adjective + (de + noun, optional). Example: 'Marie est la plus grande de la classe' (Marie is the tallest in the class).

Does 'aussi' mean 'more'?

No — 'aussi' means 'as.' It's for equality: 'aussi grand que' (as tall as). 'Plus' means 'more' — 'plus grand que' (taller than).