Lección 6: Estructuras 6.3 (Comparatives and superlatives)

Note 1

Before a number (or equivalent expression), more/less than is expressed with más/menos de.

Verb Ambos candidatos son insoportables. Ella miente tanto como el.

Both candidates are unbearable. She lies as much as he does.

Adjective: grande - big

Comparative form: mayor - bigger Superlative form: el/la meyor - biggest

Adjective: viejo/a - old

Comparative form: mayor - older Superlative form: el/la mayor - oldest

Adverb: bien - well

Comparative form: mejor - better

Adjective: bueno/a - good

Comparative form: mejor - better Superlative form: el/la mejor - best

Adjective: pequeño/a - small

Comparative form: menor - smaller Superlative form: el/la menor - smallest

Adjective: joven - young

Comparative form: menor - younger Superlative form: el/la menor - youngest

Adverb: mal - badly

Comparative form: peor - worse

Adjective: malo/a - bad

Comparative form: peor - worse Superlative form: el/la peor - worst

La corrupción es el menor problema del candidato.

Corruption is the least of the candidate's problems.

Ernesto es más pequeño que yo.

Ernesto is smaller than I am.

Ayúdame, que tú lo haces mejor que yo.

Give me a hand, you do it better than I do.

Adjective Sus creencias son menos liberales que las mías.

His beliefs are less liberal than mine.

Necesito un vuelo a Santiago, pero no puedo pagar más de quinientos dólares.

I need to flight to Santiago, but I can't pay more than five hundred dollars.

Me gustaría comer en el restaurante más elegante del barrio.

I would like to eat at the most elegant restaurant in the neighborhood.

Es el hotel menos caro del pueblo.

It is the least expensive hotel in town.

Las Dos Palmas es el más elegante de la ciudad.

Las Dos Palmas is the most elegant one in the city.

Adjective El debate de anoche fue tan aburrido como el de la semana pasada.

Last night's debate was as boring as last week's.

Lucía es mi hermana menor.

Lucía es my younger sister.

Noun La señora a Pacheco habló con tanta convicción como el señor Quesada.

Mrs. Pacheco spoke with as much conviction as Mr. Quesada.

Ese edificio es el más grande de todos.

That building is the biggest one of all.

Será dificil, señor. Déjeme buscar y le aviso en menos de una hora.

That will be difficult, sir. Let me look, and I'll let you know in less than an hour.

Note 2

The noun may also be omitted from a superlative construction.

Noun El presidente tería menos poder que el ejército.

The president had less power than the army.

Absolute superlatives

The suffix -ísimo/a is added to adjectives and adverbs to form the absolute superlatives. This form is the equivalent of extremely or very before an adjective or adverb in English.

Ésta es la playa más bonita de la costa chilena.

This is the prettiest beach on the coast of Chile.

Adverb Nosotros discutimos tan intensamente como los candidatos.

We argued as intensely as the candidates.

Verb ¡Nos peleamos más que los niños!

We fight more than the kids do!

Lo hemos hablado tantas veces y nunca logro convencerte.

We've talked about it so many times, and I never manage to convince you.

Note 3

When grande and pequeño refer to size and not age or quality, the regular comparative and superlative forms are used.

Note 4

When mayor and menor refer to age, they follow the noun they modify. When they refer to quality, they precede the noun.

¿Por wué te enojas tanto?

Why do you get so angry?

Adverb ¡Llegaste más tarde que yo!

You arrived later than I did!

¡Tus ideas son tan anticuadas!

Your ideas are so outdated!

The use of diminutives and augmentatives is common in comparative and superlative statements.

diminutives: a shortened form of a name, typically used informally. augmentatives: usually used to indicate that something is large but can also augment a word's meaning or intensity.

Use this construction to form superlatives (superlativos). The noun is preceded by a definite article, and de is the equivalent of in, on, or of.

el/la/los/las + [noun] + más/menos + [adjective] + de

fáciles

facilísimas

Adjectives that end in -n or -r form the absolute by adding -císimo/a

joven - jovencísimo trabajador - trabajadorcísimo

malo

malísimo

mucha

muchísimo

With adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs, use these constructions to make comparisons of inequality (more than/less than).

más/menos [adjective/adverb/noun] + que [verb] + más/menos que

rápidos

rapidísimos

Adjectives and adverbs with stem ending in c, g, or z change spelling to qu, gu, c in the absolute superlative.

rico - riquísimo larga - larguísima feliz - felicísimo

The following constructions are used to make comparisons of equality (as...as).

tan + [adjective/adverb] + como tanto/a(s) + [singular noun/plural noun] + como [verb] + tanto como

tan and tanto can also be used for emphasis, rather than to compare.

tan - so tanto - so much tantos/as - so many