Comparative forms of adverbs
What are comparative and superlative adverbs?
We use the comparative and superlative forms of adverbs to make comparisons between two or more people or things (see also: comparative and superlative adjectives).
Read on to learn how to form comparative and superlative adverbs and use them correctly in a sentence. Don’t forget to test your knowledge in the free exercises.
Contents
Example
Marc court aussi vite que Chloé.
Amir court plus vite que Marc.
Amir court le plus vite.
How to construct comparative adverbs
The comparative allows us to compare two things. We make comparatives using the adverbs in the structures plus … que (more … than), aussi … que (as … as) and moins … que (less … than).
- Examples:
- Amir court plus vite que Marc.Amir runs more quickly than Marc.
- Marc court aussi vite que Chloé.Marc runs as quickly as Chloé.
- Chloé court moins vite qu’Amir.Chloé runs less quickly than Amir.
How to construct superlative adverbs
The superlative is the highest degree of comparison. It compares one thing against a whole group and expresses an extreme. We form superlatives using the structures le/la/les plus … (the most …) and le/la/les moins …. (the least) followed by the adverb.
- Example:
- Amir court le plus vite.Amir runs the quickest.
Exceptions
However, there are a few exceptions:
| Base Form | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| biengood | mieux/aussi bien/moins bien | le mieux/le moins bien |
| malbad | plus mal/aussi mal/moins mal | le plus mal/le moins mal |
| beaucoupa lot | plus/autant/moins | le plus |
| peulittle/few | moins/autant/plus | le moins |
