Comparisons of Inequality in Spanish

Introduction

Comparisons of inequality, such as more than or less than, are used to show that there is an unequal relationship between two things.

More or Less

To say that something is more or less than another thing, the following formulas are used:

Formulas for Comparisons of Inequality
More formula: más + adjective/adverb/noun + que
Less formula: menos + adjective/adverb/noun + que

Check out these examples:

Sara es más artística que su hermano.
Sara is more artistic than her brother.
Marissa corre más rápido que sus compañeros de equipo.
Marissa runs faster than her teammates.
Tengo menos libros que ella.
I have fewer books than she does.
La pizza es más sabrosa que la calabaza.
Pizza is more delicious than squash.
La calabaza es menos sabrosa que la pizza.
Squash is less delicious than pizza.

Adjectives used in comparisons of quality match the first noun (the thing that is more or less) in gender and number.

Comparisons with Irregular Adjectives and Adverbs

When making more comparisons with adjectives and adverbs with irregular comparative forms, you do not need to use the word más.

More Formula for Irregulars
More formula: irregular adjective/adverb + que

Below are some common irregular forms.

Spanish English
mejor better
peor worse
mayor larger
mayor older
menor younger

Check out these examples:

Soy mayor que mi hermana.
I am older than my sister.
Esta pizza es mejor que esa pizza.
This pizza is better than that pizza.
La segunda película es peor que la primera.
The second movie is worse than the first.

Negating Equality

Another common way comparisons of equality are used is to say that one thing is not as ___ as as another, where the blank is a quality described by an adjective or adverb.

Formula for Not as ___ as Comparisons
no + verb + tan + adjective/adverb + como

Check out these examples.

Pedro no es tan alto como su hermano.
I am not as tall as your brother.
Tu coche no es tan rápido como el suyo.
Your car is not as fast as his.

Extra

Want to learn more about comparisons? Check out our articles on comparisons of equality and the superlative.