How to Teach French Comparisons – A French Teacher’s Guide
French comparisons are useful from the very beginning of a student’s French learning because they allow students to say that something is more, less, or equal to something else.
When I teach comparisons, I focus on one thing first: what are we comparing?
The structure changes depending on whether students are comparing an adjective, an adverb, a noun, or a verb. Once students understand that, the patterns become much easier to recognize and use.
English speakers can also run into a few problems because French doesn’t always follow the same structure as English.
Looking for resources to help you teach French comparisons? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
I start with the three main comparison words
I introduce the three basic ideas first:
plus = more
moins = less
autant = as much / as many
I then explain that these words don’t all work in exactly the same way.
For example, plus and moins can be used with adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs, but the structure changes.
Autant is used with nouns and verbs when expressing equality.
And when students are comparing adjectives and adverbs, aussi is used to express equality.
So before students even begin making sentences, I want them to understand this basic distinction:
aussi = adjectives and adverbs
autant = nouns and verbs
That becomes an important reference point throughout the lesson.
I teach comparisons with adjectives first
I start with adjectives because students are already familiar with adjectives describing nouns.
The structure is:
plus + adjective + que
more … than
moins + adjective + que
less … than
aussi + adjective + que
as … as
For example:
Marie est plus grande que Paul.
Marie is taller than Paul.
Cette voiture est moins chère que l’autre.
This car is less expensive than the other one.
Ce livre est aussi intéressant que celui-là.
This book is as interesting as that one.
I have students identify the adjective before they worry about the rest of the sentence. Once they see that they are comparing a quality or characteristic, they can choose the appropriate structure.
I emphasize que
One of the first things I point out to English-speaking students is that French comparisons use que to introduce the second element of the comparison.
English uses than for “more” and “less,” and as … as has a different structure.
French keeps que.
For example:
Marie est plus grande que Paul.
Cette voiture est moins chère que l’autre.
I want students to get into the habit of looking for que when they make a comparison.
This is a small detail, but it is one that can prevent a lot of mistakes.
I move on to comparisons with adverbs
Once students understand the adjective structure, I show them that comparisons with adverbs follow the same basic pattern.
The structures are:
plus + adverb + que
more … than
moins + adverb + que
less … than
aussi + adverb + que
as … as
For example:
Elle travaille plus rapidement que moi.
She works more quickly than I do.
Il parle moins clairement que son frère.
He speaks less clearly than his brother.
Tu conduis aussi bien que lui.
You drive as well as he does.
I point out that the important question is still what are we comparing?
If the word describes how an action is performed, we’re dealing with an adverb.
I make sure students understand autant
This is where I slow down a little because students often want to use aussi whenever they see “as … as” in English.
I explain that French uses aussi with adjectives and adverbs, but autant with nouns and verbs.
For example:
Elle est aussi intelligente que lui.
She is as intelligent as he is.
But:
Il a autant d’amis que moi.
He has as many friends as I do.
And:
Je travaille autant que toi.
I work as much as you do.
I have students compare these examples so they can see that the English idea of equality doesn’t always translate into the same French word.
I teach comparisons with nouns
Next, I introduce noun comparisons.
This is where French adds an important little word:
de
The structures are:
plus de + noun + que
more … than
moins de + noun + que
less … than
autant de + noun + que
as much / as many … as
For example:
J’ai plus de livres que toi.
I have more books than you.
Elle a moins de temps que nous.
She has less time than we do.
Nous avons autant de travail que vous.
We have as much work as you do.
I emphasize that de must appear before the noun.
This is particularly important for English-speaking students because English doesn’t have an equivalent word in these structures.
English:
more books than
French:
plus de livres que
I have students practice these structures with both countable and uncountable nouns so they become comfortable with plus de, moins de, and autant de.
I then teach comparisons with verbs
After students have worked with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, I introduce comparisons of actions.
The structure becomes simpler:
verb + plus que
more than
verb + moins que
less than
verb + autant que
as much as
For example:
Je travaille plus que lui.
I work more than he does.
Elle voyage moins que ses amis.
She travels less than her friends.
Nous étudions autant que vous.
We study as much as you do.
I point out that there is no de because we are not comparing nouns.
That gives students another useful question to ask:
Am I comparing a noun?
If so, they need de.
Am I comparing an action?
Then they don’t.
I teach meilleur and mieux as irregular comparisons
I also make sure students know that meilleur and mieux are very common comparative forms.
This connects nicely with my lesson on bon, bien, meilleur, and mieux.
Meilleur is used when comparing nouns because bon is an adjective.
Mieux is used when comparing verbs because bien is an adverb.
For example:
Cette pizza est meilleure que l’autre.
This pizza is better than the other one.
Elle cuisine mieux que moi.
She cooks better than I do.
I then give students another pair:
C’est un meilleur élève que l’autre.
He is a better student than the other one.
Il chante mieux que moi.
He sings better than I do.
This is an especially useful distinction for English speakers because English uses better for both situations.
I want students to stop and ask themselves what better is describing.
A noun = meilleur
A verb/action = mieux
I go back to the common mistakes
Once students know all of the structures, I go back to the points that are most likely to cause problems.
French uses que
Students need to remember that que introduces the second element of the comparison.
Je travaille plus que toi.
Elle est plus rapide que lui.
Noun comparisons use de
Students need to remember:
plus de livres que
moins de temps que
autant de travail que
The de goes directly before the noun.
Aussi and autant are not interchangeable
This is probably one of the most useful distinctions to review.
Aussi is used with adjectives and adverbs.
Autant is used with nouns and verbs.
So:
Elle est aussi intelligente que lui.
Il a autant d’amis que moi.
Je travaille autant que toi.
I have students sort examples according to what is being compared. This makes them think about the grammar instead of simply memorizing isolated expressions.
I have students identify what is being compared
At this point, I like to give students comparison sentences without telling them which structure to use.
I ask them to identify the thing being compared first.
Is it an adjective?
Is it an adverb?
Is it a noun?
Is it a verb?
Then they choose the appropriate structure.
For example, students can work through sentences using:
plus … que
moins … que
aussi … que
plus de … que
moins de … que
autant de … que
plus que
moins que
autant que
This approach helps students see that French comparisons aren’t really a collection of unrelated rules. The structure follows the type of word being compared.
I bring all the comparison structures together
By the end of the lesson, I want students to have a simple mental system.
More
- adjective/adverb = plus … que
- noun = plus de … que
- verb = plus que
Less
- adjective/adverb = moins … que
- noun = moins de … que
- verb = moins que
Equal
- adjective/adverb = aussi … que
- noun = autant de … que
- verb = autant que
And then I remind them of the two irregular comparisons that they will encounter constantly:
meilleur = better, when comparing nouns
mieux = better, when comparing verbs
I find that giving students this overall picture at the end helps them see how all of the pieces fit together.
Practice French Comparisons!
If you’re teaching French comparisons, these ready-to-use resources can give your students additional practice with plus, moins, aussi, autant, meilleur, and mieux.
French Comparatives and Superlatives – PowerPoint Jeopardy Game
French Comparative Adjectives – Dice Game
French Comparative and Superlative – Plus – Aussi – Autant
