ANTE TODO

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• ANTE TODO
• Spanish and English use comparisons to indicate
  which of two people or things has a lesser,
  equal, or greater degree of a quality.
• Both languages also use superlatives to express
  the highest or lowest degree of a quality.

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• COMPARISONS
• menos interesante más grande tan sabroso
  como
• less interesting bigger as
  delicious as
• SUPERLATIVES
• la / el mejor la / el peor la más
  alta
• the best the worst the
  tallest

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Comparisons of inequality

• Comparisons of inequality are formed by placing
  más (more) or menos (less) before adjectives,
  adverbs, and nouns and que (than) after them.
• adjective
• más/menos adverb que
• noun

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Comparisons of inequality

• ADJECTIVES
• Los bistecs son más caros que el pollo.
• Steaks are more expensive than chicken.
• Estas uvas son menos sabrosas que esa pera.
• These grapes are less tasty than that pear.

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Comparisons of inequality

• ADVERBS
• Me acuesto más tarde que tú.
• I go to bed later than you (do).
• Mi hermano se despierta menos temprano que yo.
• My brother wakes up less early than I (do).

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Comparisons of inequality

• NOUNS
• Juan prepara más platos que José.
• Juan prepares more dishes than José (does).
• Susana come menos carne que Enrique.
• Susan eats less meat than Enrique (does).

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• ATENCIÓN!
• Note that while English has a comparative form
  for short adjectives and adverbs (taller, later),
  such forms do not exist in Spanish (más alto, más
  tarde).
• When the comparison involves a numerical
  expression, de is used before the number instead
  of que.
• Hay más de cincuenta naranjas.
• Llego en menos de diez minutos.

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Comparisons of inequality

• With verbs, the following construction is used to
  make comparisons of inequality
• verb más/menos que
• Mis hermanos comen más que yo.
• My brothers eat more than I (do).
• Arturo duerme menos que su padre.
• Arturo sleeps less than his father (does).

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Comparisons of equality

• The following constructions are used to make
  comparisons of equality.
• tan adjective como
• adverb
• tanto/a (s) singular noun como
  plural noun

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Comparisons of equality

• Este plato es tan delicioso como aquél.
• This dish is as delicious as that one (is).
• Ustedes probaron tantos platos como ellos.
• You tried as many dishes as they did.

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• ATENCIÓN!
• Note that tanto acts as an adjective and
  therefore agrees in number and gender with the
  noun it modifies tantas cosas.
• Tan and tanto can also be used for emphasis,
  rather than to compare, with these meanings tan
  so, tanto so much, tantos/as so many.
• Tu almuerzo es tan grande!
• Your lunch is so big!
• Comes tanto!
• You eat so much!
• Comes tantas manzanas!
• You eat so many apples!

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Comparisons of equality

• Comparisons of equality with verbs are formed by
  placing tanto como after the verb.
• Note that in this construction tanto does not
  change in number or gender.
• verb tanto como
• No duermo tanto como mi tía.
• I dont sleep as much as my aunt (does).
• Estudiamos tanto como ustedes.
• We study as much as you (do).

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Superlatives

• The following construction is used to form
  superlatives. Note that the noun is always
  preceded by a definite article and that de is
  equivalent to the English in or of.
• el / la / los / las noun más / menos
  adjective de
• Es el café más rico del país.
• Its the most delicious coffee in the country.
• Es el menú menos caro de todos éstos.
• It is the least expensive menu of all of these.

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Superlatives

• ATENCIÓN!
• While más alone means more, after a noun or a
  definite article, it means most.

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Superlatives

• The noun in a superlative construction can be
  omitted if the person, place, or thing referred
  to is clear.
• El restaurante El Cráter? Es el más
  elegante de la ciudad.
• The El Cráter restaurant? Its
  the most elegant (one) in the city.
• Recomiendo el pollo asado. Es el más
  sabroso del menú.
• I recommend the roast chicken. Its the
  most delicious (thing) on the
• 
  menu.

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Irregular comparisons and superlatives
Adjective Adjective Comparative Form Comparative Form Superlative Form Superlative Form
bueno/a good mejor better el/la mejor (the) best
malo/a bad peor worse el/la peor (the) worst
grande/a big mayor bigger el/la mayor (the) biggest
pequeño/a small menor smaller el/la menor (the) smallest
joven young menor younger el/la menor (the) youngest
viejo/a old mayor older el/la mayor (the) eldest
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Irregular comparatives and superlatives

• When grande and pequeño/a refer to age, the
  irregular comparative and superlative forms,
  mayor and menor, are used.
• However, when these adjectives refer to size, the
  regular forms, más grande and más pequeño/a, are
  used.
• Isabel es la mayor de su familia.
• Isabel is the eldest in her family.
• Tu ensalada es más grande que ésa.
• Your salad is bigger than that one.
• Yo soy menor que tú.
• Im younger than you.
• Pedí el plato más pequeño del menú.
• I ordered the smallest dish on the menu.

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Irregular comparatives and superlatives

• The adverbs bien and mal have the same irregular
  comparative forms as the adjectives bueno/a and
  malo/a.
• Julio nada mejor que los otros chicos.
• Julio swims better than the other boys.
• Ellas cantan peor que las otras chicas.
• They sing worse than the other girls.

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Absolute superlatives

• In Spanish the absolute superlative is equivalent
  to extremely, exceptionally, super, or very
  before an adjective or adverb.
• You encountered an absolute superlative when you
  learned how to say Me gusta(n) muchísimo

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Absolute superlatives

• To form the absolute superlative of most
  adjectives and adverbs, drop the final vowel, if
  there is one, and add -ísimo/a(s).
• malo ? mal- ? malísimo mucho ? much-
  ? muchísimo
• El bistec está malísimo! Comes
  muchísimo.
• The steak is very bad! You eat a lot
  (very, very much).
• difícil -ísimo ? dificilísimo fácil
  -ísimo ? facilísimo
• Esta prueba es dificilísima. Los exámenes
  son facilísimos.
• This quiz is exceptionally difficult. The
  tests are extremely easy.

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Absolute superlatives

• Adjectives and adverbs whose stem ends in c, g,
  or z change spelling to qu, gu, and c in the
  absolute superlative.
• rico ? riquísimo
• largo ? larguísimo
• feliz ? felicísimo

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Absolute superlatives

• Adjectives that end in n or r normally form the
  absolute superlative by adding -císimo.
• joven -císimo ? jovencísimo
• trabajador -císimo ? trabajadorcísimo

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• INTÉNTALO! Escribe el equivalente de las
  palabras en inglés.
• Comparativos
• 1. (than) Ernesto mira más televisión ____
  Alberto.
• 2. (less) Tú eres ____ simpático que Federico.
• 3. (as much) La camarera sirve ____ carne como
  pescado.
• 4. (more) Conozco ____ restaurantes que tú.
• 5. (as much as) No estudio ____ tú.
• 6. (as) Sabes jugar al tenis tan bien ____ tu
  hermana?
• 7. (as many) Puedes beber ____ refrescos como
  yo?
• 8. (as) Mis amigos parecen ____ simpáticos como
  ustedes.

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• INTÉNTALO! Escribe el equivalente de las
  palabras en inglés.
• Superlativos
• 1. (the most intelligent) Marisa es _____ de
  todas.
• 2. (the least boring) Ricardo y Tomás son _____
  de la fiesta.
• 3. (the worst) Miguel y Antonio son _____
  estudiantes de la clase.
• 4. (the eldest) Mi profesor de biología es _____
  de la universidad.
• 5. (extremely delicious) El pollo de este
  supermercado es _____ .
• 6. (the youngest) Carlos es _____ de mis
  hermanos.
• 7. (the best) Este plato es _____ del
  restaurante.
• 8. (extremely tall) Sara es _____ .

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