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Degrees of Comparison for Adjectives in French

Adjectives express different levels of quality through comparison (comparing two elements) and superlatives (indicating the highest or lowest degree).

1. The Comparative

Used to compare two elements based on a quality.

Type

Structure

Example

English Equivalent

Superiority

plus + adjective + que

Marie est plus grande que Sophie.

"Marie is taller than Sophie."

Inferiority

moins + adjective + que

Pierre est moins rapide que son frère.

"Pierre is less fast than his brother."

Equality

aussi + adjective + que

Paul est aussi intelligent que sa sœur.

"Paul is as smart as his sister."

2. The Superlative

Expresses the highest or lowest degree of a quality, often relative to a group.

Type

Structure

Example

English Equivalent

Superiority Superlative

le/la/les + plus + adjective (+ de/du/des...)

C'est la plus belle ville du monde.

"It's the most beautiful city in the world."

Inferiority Superlative

le/la/les + moins + adjective (+ de/du/des...)

C'est le film le moins intéressant.

"It's the least interesting movie."

Important Rule for Superlatives:

  • The definite article (le, la, les) agrees with the noun.
  • If the adjective comes after the noun, the article is repeated:
    • La ville la plus belle ("The most beautiful city")

3. Irregular Forms (Very Important!)

Adjective

Comparative

Superlative

Examples

Bon (good)

meilleur(e)(s) que (better than)

le/la/les meilleur(e)(s) (the best)

Ce gâteau est meilleur. ("This cake is better.")

Mauvais (bad)

pire(s) que (worse than) or plus mauvais(e)(s) que

le/la/les pire(s) or le/la/les plus mauvais(e)(s)

Son humeur est pire. ("His mood is worse.")

Petit (small)

plus petit(e)(s) que (smaller than)

le/la/les plus petit(e)(s) (the smallest)

Le plus petit chien. ("The smallest dog.")

Petit (formal for quantity/importance)

moindre(s) que (lesser than)

le/la/les moindre(s) (the slightest)

Le moindre signe. ("The slightest sign.")

Key Reminder:

  • The adjective (and the superlative article) always agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
  • You can always check adjective forms (feminine/plural) on our Conjugation and Declension service.