Comparer
Comparing
Comparing
At the market or in the supermarket, you constantly compare: this cheese is cheaper, that bread is better, these apples are the freshest. In French, comparing is simple once you know three little words: plus (more), moins (less) and aussi (as). You place one of them before an adjective or an adverb, then add que to name what you compare to.
| plus ... que | more ... than |
| moins ... que | less ... than |
| aussi ... que | as ... as |
| cher / chère | expensive |
| bon / bonne | good (taste, quality) |
| meilleur(e) | better (adjective) |
| mieux | better (adverb) |
| pire | worse |
| frais / fraîche | fresh |
| le moins cher | the cheapest |
| le plus frais | the freshest |
| que | than / as (in comparisons) |
Associez le français à sa traduction.
Match the French with its English meaning.
- plus cher que
- moins frais que
- aussi bon que
- meilleur
- le moins cher
- pire
Choisissez le bon comparatif.
Choose the correct comparative.
Complétez avec le bon mot.
Complete with the right word.
Les fraises sont ____ sucrées que les cerises.
Grammar: the comparative
The pattern is always the same: plus / moins / aussi + adjective + que. The adjective agrees with the noun it describes, just as usual. Le marché est plus cher que le supermarché. (The market is more expensive than the supermarket.) With aussi you say two things are equal: Ces tomates sont aussi mûres que celles-là.
Complétez avec l'adverbe irrégulier pour « better ».
Complete with the irregular adverb for 'better'.
Au marché, on mange ____ qu'au fast-food.
Quelle phrase est au superlatif (le moins cher) ?
Which sentence is the superlative (the cheapest)?
Remettez les mots dans l'ordre.
Put the words in order.
Grammar: irregular comparatives
Three comparatives are irregular and very common when you talk about food and shopping. Bon (good) becomes meilleur, never plus bon. Bien (well) becomes mieux. And mauvais (bad) usually becomes pire. Remember: meilleur describes a noun (better cheese), while mieux describes an action (it tastes better).
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
This bread is less fresh than the other one.
Écoutez et écrivez ce que vous entendez.
Listen and type what you hear.
Complétez avec l'article du superlatif.
Complete with the article for the superlative.
Ce sont les tomates ____ plus fraîches du marché.
Grammar: the superlative (intro)
To say the most or the least, add an article (le, la, les) before plus or moins: le moins cher (the cheapest), la plus fraîche (the freshest). The good form is special: le meilleur (the best). This is how you point to the top choice on a stall.
Construisez la comparaison avec « better ».
Build the comparison with 'better'.
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
It's the cheapest cheese in the market.