Comparatives, Superlatives and Adjective Agreement and Position
Comparatives let a student compare two people, things or qualities using más...que (more...than), menos...que (less...than) and tan...como (as...as), plus the irregular comparatives mejor (better), peor (worse), mayor (older/bigger) and menor (younger/smaller). Superlatives single out the most or least of a group using el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective (+ de for 'in/of'), or the intensifying suffix -ísimo/-ísima (facilísimo, altísima). This topic also covers adjective agreement (matching gender and number with the noun) and position, since most descriptive adjectives follow the noun in Spanish, while a small set of common adjectives (bueno, malo, grande, mismo, and numbers) usually come before it, sometimes shortening (buen, mal, gran) or changing meaning depending on position (un gran hombre versus un hombre grande).
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Build a regular comparative with más/menos + adjective + que: Mi hermano es más alto que yo (My brother is taller than me); for equality use tan + adjective + como: Ella es tan inteligente como su hermana.
- Learn the four irregular comparatives by heart: bueno -> mejor, malo -> peor, viejo (for age of a person) -> mayor, joven -> menor; do not say más bueno or más malo for people.
- Build the superlative with el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective, adding de (not en) for 'in/of' the group: Es la asignatura más difícil de todas (It's the most difficult subject of all).
- For an intensified 'extremely' meaning without comparing to a group, add -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas to the adjective stem, adjusting spelling where needed: fácil -> facilísimo, rico -> riquísimo.
- Make every adjective agree in gender and number with the noun it describes: unos chicos altos, unas chicas altas, un problema difícil, remembering that adjectives ending in a consonant or -e usually only change for number, not gender (interesante/interesantes).
- Place most descriptive adjectives after the noun (una casa moderna, un libro interesante); a small group (bueno, malo, grande, primero, tercero, alguno, ninguno, and cardinal numbers) usually go before the noun and some shorten before a masculine singular noun: buen día, mal tiempo, un gran hombre (great man, before the noun) versus un hombre grande (big/large man, after the noun).
- In comparisons with a number, use de instead of que: Tengo más de veinte libros (I have more than twenty books), not más que veinte libros.
Worked example
Translate: 'My sister is younger than me, but she is the most intelligent person in the family.'
- 'Younger' compares the age of a person, so use the irregular comparative menor rather than más joven: mi hermana es menor que yo.
- 'The most intelligent person' is a superlative picking one person out of a group, so use la más + adjective, with the article agreeing with persona (feminine): la persona más inteligente.
- Add de + the group being compared within: de la familia (of the family).
- Join both halves with pero: Mi hermana es menor que yo, pero es la persona más inteligente de la familia.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Complete: Este libro es ___ interesante ___ el otro (more...than).Show answer
Answer: más ... que (más interesante que).
Q2Translate: 'My grandfather is older than my grandmother.'Show answer
Answer: Mi abuelo es mayor que mi abuela.
Q3Give the correct form: un problema (difícil) -> ___Show answer
Answer: un problema difícil - no change, because difícil ends in a consonant so it only changes for number, not gender.
Q4Translate: 'It's an extremely easy exam.'Show answer
Answer: Es un examen facilísimo.
Q5Spot the error: 'Mi hermano es un hombre gran.'Show answer
Answer: It should be 'un gran hombre' (before the noun, meaning great) - if the intended meaning is a big/tall man, it would be 'un hombre grande' after the noun.
Q6Complete: Tengo ___ diez euros en el bolsillo (more than).Show answer
Answer: más de (Tengo más de diez euros).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: Mi mejor amiga es la chica más simpática de mi clase, aunque a veces es peor que yo en matemáticas. Sus notas son buenísimas en inglés, pero mis notas son mejores en ciencias. Creo que somos tan trabajadoras la una como la otra.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
Translate into Spanish: 'This film is more interesting than the last one, but it is not the best film of the year. My little brother is younger than me and much lazier.'
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the comparatives, superlatives and adjective agreement and position worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on comparatives, superlatives and adjective agreement and position, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.