Spanish Comparatives of Inequality: A quick and easy guide.

When it comes to expressing inequality in Spanish, the language uses an easy-to-follow system of comparatives. This article provides a concise guide to understanding these comparatives of inequality, offering a structured approach to comparing different quantities, qualities, or attributes.

Basics of Comparatives of Inequality

Comparatives of inequality follow a basic structure in Spanish. To say something is ‘more’ or ‘less’ than something else, use the formula: “Más/Menos + adjective/adverb/noun + que”.

Examples:

• Felipe es más alto que yo (Felipe is taller than me)
• Tengo menos libros que ella (I have fewer books than she does)
• Mónica habla más lentamente que Carmen (Mónica speaks more slowly than Carmen)

When the comparative is followed by a number, ‘de’ replaces ‘que’. However, in negative sentences, ‘que’ is used even with numbers to convey ‘only’. For instance:

• El tiene más de noventa años (He is over 90 years old)
• No tengo más que cinco dólares (I have not more than 5 dollars)

Irregular Comparatives of Inequality

In Spanish, there are also irregular comparatives, where the formula “Irregular adjective/adverb + que” is used instead of ‘más’/’menos’. Some examples of irregular adjectives/adverbs are ‘mejor’ (better), ‘peor’ (worse), ‘mayor’ (larger/older), and ‘menor’ (smaller/younger).

Examples:

• Esta pizza es mejor que esa pizza (This pizza is better than that pizza)
• María es mayor que Carlos (María is older than Carlos)

Comparing with ‘Not as…as’

Spanish also uses a specific formula to express that one thing is not as much as another. This is expressed as: “No + verb + tan + adjective/adverb + como”.

Examples:

• Pedro no es tan alto como Juan (Pedro is not as tall as Juan)
• Tu coche no es tan rápido como el mío (Your car is not as fast as mine)

In conclusion, mastering these structures will help in creating nuanced comparisons in Spanish. Whether expressing more or less, better or worse, or the ‘not as…as’ comparison, these formulas provide the framework for effectively communicating inequalities in the Spanish language.

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