Comparatives and Superlatives

To compare two people or things in French, place one of three words in front of the adjective and follow it with que (than / as):

Structure	Meaning	Example
plus … que	more … than	Marie est plus grande que Paul. (Marie is taller than Paul.)
moins … que	less … than	Le train est moins cher que l'avion. (The train is less expensive than the plane.)
aussi … que	as … as	Je suis aussi fatigué que toi. (I am as tired as you.)

The adjective still agrees with the noun it describes, exactly as normal. In Marie est plus grande que Paul, grande takes the feminine -e because it describes Marie.

After que, use an emphatic pronoun for people: plus grand que moi (taller than me), moins rapide que lui (slower than him).

(Higher tier) In AQA GCSE French, comparatives are required at both tiers, but superlative structures are Higher tier only. Foundation students can treat the rest of this lesson as extension.

The superlative says something is the most or the least of a group. Build it from the comparative by adding the definite article (le / la / les) that matches the noun:

Structure	Meaning	Example
le/la/les plus + adj	the most …	la plus grande ville (the biggest city)
le/la/les moins + adj	the least …	les moins chers (the least expensive ones)

To say "in" or "of" a group after a superlative, French uses de:

• C'est le plus grand musée de Paris. — It is the biggest museum in Paris.
• Elle est l'élève la plus intelligente de la classe. — She is the most intelligent pupil in the class.

Both the article and the adjective agree with the noun: la plus grande (feminine), les plus grands (masculine plural).

The position of a superlative follows the normal position of the adjective. A short adjective that already comes before the noun keeps that position:

• la plus belle plage — the most beautiful beach
• le plus petit village — the smallest village

An adjective that normally comes after the noun repeats the article, giving a "double le/la/les" pattern:

Example	English translation
le livre le plus intéressant	the most interesting book
la voiture la plus rapide	the fastest car
les films les plus populaires	the most popular films

When the adjective follows the noun, you must repeat the article: le film le plus long, never le film plus long.

The adjective bon (good) does not use plus. Like English "good → better → best", it has its own form meilleur, which still agrees in gender and number:

Form	Masc. sing.	Fem. sing.	Masc. pl.	Fem. pl.
good	bon	bonne	bons	bonnes
better	meilleur	meilleure	meilleurs	meilleures
the best	le meilleur	la meilleure	les meilleurs	les meilleures

Examples:

• Ce restaurant est meilleur que l'autre. — This restaurant is better than the other one.
• C'est la meilleure pizza de la ville. — It is the best pizza in town.

The opposite, mauvais (bad), has an irregular form pire (worse) and le/la pire (the worst): La circulation est pire aujourd'hui (The traffic is worse today). The regular plus mauvais also exists and is accepted.

Adverbs describe how an action is done (quickly, well, often). They compare with the same three words, but an adverb never agrees — it keeps one fixed form:

Structure	Example
plus … que	Il court plus vite que moi. (He runs faster than me.)
moins … que	Je parle moins souvent que toi. (I speak less often than you.)
aussi … que	Elle travaille aussi dur que son frère. (She works as hard as her brother.)

The superlative of an adverb always uses le (never la/les, because there is no noun to agree with):

• C'est lui qui conduit le plus prudemment. — He is the one who drives the most carefully.

Just as bon is irregular, so is the adverb bien (well). Its comparative is mieux (better) and its superlative is le mieux (best). The trap is telling mieux and meilleur apart:

Word	From	Type	Describes	Example
meilleur	bon (good)	adjective	a noun	un meilleur résultat (a better result)
mieux	bien (well)	adverb	a verb	je travaille mieux (I work better)

Ask yourself: is the word describing a thing (a book, a meal, a result) or an action (to work, to sing, to feel)?

• Ce gâteau est meilleur. — This cake is better. (describes the cake → adjective)
• Je vais mieux aujourd'hui. — I feel better today. (describes how I am → adverb)
• Elle chante mieux que moi, alors elle a la meilleure voix. — She sings better than me, so she has the best voice.

1. Saying plus bon instead of meilleur

Bon never combines with plus. "Better" is always meilleur(e)(s): un meilleur film, not un plus bon film.

2. Confusing meilleur and mieux

meilleur is an adjective for nouns (la meilleure équipe, the best team); mieux is an adverb for verbs (jouer mieux, to play better). Check whether a thing or an action is being described.

3. Forgetting agreement on superlative adjectives

The article and the adjective must both match the noun: les plus grandes maisons (feminine plural), not les plus grand maison.

4. Dropping the second article after the noun

When the adjective follows the noun, repeat the article: la ville la plus belle, not la ville plus belle.

5. Using dans instead of de after a superlative

"The biggest in the world" is le plus grand du monde, using de (contracted here to du), never dans le monde.