Spanish Comparatives
Learn how to compare people and things in Spanish using más, menos, tan, tanto, and common irregular comparative forms.
Comparatives in Spanish
Spanish comparatives are used to say that something is more, less, or equally something than something else.
Ana es más alta que Marta.
Ana is taller than Marta.
Este libro es menos difícil que ese.
This book is less difficult than that one.
Luis es tan alto como Carlos.
Luis is as tall as Carlos.
Más / menos + adjective + que
Use:
más + adjective + que → more … than
menos + adjective + que → less … than
Barcelona es más grande que Girona.
Barcelona is bigger than Girona.
Este ejercicio es menos difícil que el anterior.
This exercise is less difficult than the previous one.
Tan + adjective + como
Use tan … como to say two things are equal in a quality.
Ana es tan alta como Marta.
Ana is as tall as Marta.
Este coche es tan rápido como ese.
This car is as fast as that one.
Tanto + noun + como
Use tanto / tanta / tantos / tantas + noun + como to compare quantities.
Tengo tantos libros como tú.
I have as many books as you.
Ella tiene tanta paciencia como su hermana.
She has as much patience as her sister.
Tanto agrees with the noun in gender and number.
Comparing actions
With verbs, use:
verb + más / menos + que
Trabajo más que antes.
I work more than before.
Ella estudia menos que yo.
She studies less than I do.
For equal amounts:
verb + tanto como
Trabajo tanto como tú.
I work as much as you do.
Irregular comparatives
Some common adjectives have special comparative forms:
| Adjective | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bueno | mejor | better |
| malo | peor | worse |
| grande | mayor | older / greater |
| pequeño | menor | younger / lesser |
Examples:
Este restaurante es mejor que ese.
This restaurant is better than that one.
Hoy estoy peor que ayer.
I feel worse today than yesterday.
Mi hermano es mayor que yo.
My brother is older than me.
For physical size, más grande and más pequeño are usually used instead of mayor and menor.
Comparatives vs. superlatives
Comparatives compare two or more things:
Ana es más alta que Marta.
Ana is taller than Marta.
Superlatives identify the highest or lowest degree within a group:
Ana es la más alta de la clase.
Ana is the tallest in the class.
See Spanish Superlatives for the full rule.
Quick rule
más / menos + adjective + que → more / less … than
tan + adjective + como → as … as
tanto + noun + como → as much / many … as
verb + tanto como → as much as
- más rápido que
- tan rápido como
- tantos libros como
- trabaja tanto como yo