Comparison: más barato que…
The comparative is built from three bricks with almost no exceptions: más (more) or menos (less), then the quality itself, then que — 'than'. For example: “Este piso es más caro que el otro” — This flat is more expensive than that one. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The comparative is built from three bricks with almost no exceptions: más (more) or menos (less), then the quality itself, then que — 'than'.
Este puesto es más barato que el otro — this stall is cheaper than that one. English squeezes the comparison into an ending (-er) or a 'more'; Spanish wraps the adjective in two fixed words. Irregular words number exactly four, and they're in the table.
Equality is built with a different pair — tan … como: Este melón está tan maduro como aquel.
The easiest trap is 'than' before a number: there que gives way to de. Cuesta menos de diez euros — it costs less than ten euros. With que the sentence would sound as if the price were being compared with the number itself.
Table
| word | comparative | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bueno | mejor | better |
| malo | peor | worse |
| grande | mayor | bigger, older |
| pequeño | menor | smaller, younger |
By example
- Este piso es más caro que el otroThis flat is more expensive than that one
- Hoy hace menos frío que ayerIt's not as cold today as yesterday
- El técnico llega en menos de una horaThe technician will be here in less than an hour
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Comparison: how does it work in Spanish?
The comparative is built from three bricks with almost no exceptions: más (more) or menos (less), then the quality itself, then que — 'than'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Este piso es más caro que el otro” — This flat is more expensive than that one. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.