Paris est plus grand que Lyon, mais Lyon est aussi intéressant que Paris. Ce restaurant est le meilleur de la ville. Mon frère chante mieux que moi, mais je cuisine mieux.
Free to browse — sign up to save progress & learn live with a tutor.Get started Are you a tutor? Earn by teaching →
Materials
Student view Learn with a tutor
GrammarA2comparativessuperlatives
Comparatives & superlatives
Le comparatif et le superlatif
A2fr24 min
What you'll learn
- Compare two things
- Express the extreme
- Use irregular comparatives
Tips for this lesson
- plus...que (more), moins...que (less), aussi...que (as) — the three comparison words.
- le/la/les plus/moins + adjective = the superlative — remember the article.
- bon → meilleur (better), bien → mieux (better) — two different irregular comparatives, don't mix them up.
Step 1 of 6
1Reading
In context
Read. Notice plus/moins/aussi...que compares two things, and le/la plus... picks out the extreme.
Step 2 of 6
2The pattern
The pattern — comparatives and superlatives
Comparatives compare two things; superlatives pick out the extreme from a group. Watch for the irregular meilleur/mieux.
To compare two things, sandwich the adjective between plus/moins/aussi and que: "Paris est plus grand que Lyon" (bigger than), "moins grand que" (less big than), "aussi grand que" (as big as). To pick out the extreme from a group (the superlative), add the definite article: le/la/les plus/moins + adjective — "le restaurant le plus cher" (the most expensive restaurant). One key irregular pair: bon (good, an adjective) becomes meilleur (never "plus bon"), while bien (well, an adverb) becomes mieux (never "plus bien") — two different words because they modify different types of words.
| Comparison | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| more... than | plus + adj. + que | plus grand que |
| less... than | moins + adj. + que | moins cher que |
| as... as | aussi + adj. + que | aussi intéressant que |
| the most... | le/la/les plus + adj. | le plus cher |
| Irregular | Regular form | Correct form |
|---|---|---|
| bon (adjective, 'good') | plus bon ✗ | meilleur ✓ |
| bien (adverb, 'well') | plus bien ✗ | mieux ✓ |
Ce livre est plus intéressant que le film.
This book is more interesting than the film.
Elle est aussi grande que moi.
She's as tall as me.
C'est le plus beau musée de la ville.
It's the most beautiful museum in the city.
Superlative keeps the article: le plus beau.
Ce gâteau est meilleur que l'autre.
This cake is better than the other one.
meilleur (adjective, describes gâteau) — never 'plus bon'.
Erreurs fréquentes
- Ce gâteau est plus bon.Ce gâteau est meilleur.
bon has an irregular comparative — meilleur, never 'plus bon'.
- Il chante plus bien.Il chante mieux.
bien (describing how he sings, an adverb) becomes mieux, never 'plus bien'.
- C'est plus cher restaurant.C'est le restaurant le plus cher.
The superlative needs the article (le/la/les) and usually follows the noun.
Exceptions & à retenir
mauvais also has an irregular comparative
mauvais (bad) → pire (worse), alongside the regular plus mauvais which is also accepted. pire is more common in careful/formal speech.
Superlative placement follows the adjective's normal position
BAGS adjectives keep their position before the noun in the superlative: le plus grand musée (not le musée le plus grand), while most adjectives follow: le musée le plus intéressant.
Comparing quantities uses plus de / moins de / autant de
For nouns (not adjectives), use plus de, moins de, autant de + noun: j'ai plus de livres que toi (I have more books than you) — a different structure from the adjective comparative.
Astuces & mémo
- meilleur describes a NOUN (like an adjective: le meilleur restaurant). mieux describes a VERB/ACTION (like an adverb: il cuisine mieux).
- Superlatives almost always need the article — never drop le/la/les before plus/moins.
- aussi...que is for equality ('as...as') — don't confuse it with plus...que (more) or the standalone aussi meaning 'also'.
Step 3 of 6
3Q&A drill
Regular or irregular?
Match each adjective/adverb to its comparative form.
- Q1grand (regular)A____________
- Q2bon (irregular)A____________
- Q3bien (irregular)A____________
- Q4cher (regular)A____________
Step 4 of 6
4Fill the blanks
Guided practice — build the comparison
Complete each comparison correctly.
Example
Paris est (1) (plus/grand) Lyon.
→ Paris est plus grand que Lyon.
Exercice
Ce restaurant est (1) (bon, comparatif) que l'autre.
Exercice
Elle chante (2) (bien, comparatif) que moi.
Exercice
C'est (3) le musée (plus/intéressant) de la ville.
Answer pool — drag onto a blank (or tap to fill the next one)
Next empty blank: 1
Step 5 of 6
5Word order
Build the sentence
Put the words in the correct order.
Example
grandqueestParisplusLyon→Paris est plus grand que Lyon.
- Sentence 1Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 2Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 3Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 4Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Step 6 of 6
6Speak freely
Produce it
Compare two things you know (cities, foods, films) and name a 'best' using the superlative.
Ex.Paris est plus grand que ma ville, mais ma ville est aussi belle. Le meilleur restaurant de ma ville est italien.
- 1.Comparez deux villes que vous connaissez.
- 2.Quel est le meilleur restaurant que vous connaissez ?
- 3.Qui cuisine mieux dans votre famille ?