Comparing in Spanish: más que, menos que, tan como
You will learn the core Spanish patterns for comparing things: more, less, and equal. These forms are essential for describing people, objects, prices, and how much someone does something. The main difficulty is choosing tan or tanto based on what comes next.
The rule
Spanish has three very regular patterns for comparing with adjectives. For superiority you put más before the adjective and then que: más + adjetivo + que. For inferiority you use menos instead of más: menos + adjetivo + que. For equality you use tan and then como: tan + adjetivo + como. In all three, the adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number, exactly as you already do in simple descriptions.
After que, when you compare two subjects, Spanish uses subject pronoun forms: que yo, que tú, que él, que ella, que nosotros, que vosotros, que ellos, que ellas. This matters most with yo, because you say más alto que yo, not más alto que mí.
At a glance
Adjective comparisons: more, less, equality
| Tipo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Superioridad | más + adjetivo + que | Este coche es más rápido que el mío. |
| Inferioridad | menos + adjetivo + que | Mi barrio es menos ruidoso que el centro. |
| Igualdad | tan + adjetivo + como | Tu casa es tan grande como la mía. |
Heard in real Spanish
Native speakers on YouTube, in videos about something other than grammar. The notion is in pink. Each clip starts a second before the line.
Cuál es el país que crees que tiene la mejor comida del mundo?
Which country do you think has the best food in the world?
Mejores momentos: extranjeros visitan Mexico, no pueden creer la calidez, su gente, cultura y comida by Dicen de México · Watch on YouTube
Creo que es el más crujiente que hemos probado hasta el momento.
I think it's the crispiest we've tried so far.
Probé Pollo Frito BARATO vs CARO en Costa Rica 🇨🇷🍗 by Diego Garro · Watch on YouTube
Examples
- Mi piso es más pequeño que tu piso, pero es más tranquilo.My apartment is smaller than yours, but it is quieter.más + adjective + que for superiority, with normal adjective agreement.
- Esta chaqueta es menos cara que esa.This jacket is less expensive than that one.menos + adjective + que for inferiority.
- Tu ciudad es tan bonita como la mía.Your city is as pretty as mine.tan + adjective + como for equality with an adjective.
What to remember
- With adjectives: más… que, menos… que, tan… como.
- Tan goes before an adjective or adverb, tanto is for quantity.
- With a noun: tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + como, with agreement.
- After a verb: tanto como, with no agreement.
- Before a number: más de. With negation: no… más que + number for “only”.
Check yourself
1 Fill the gap with the correct form for equality with an adjective.
Tu barrio es ___ tranquilo como el mío.
- tan
- tanto
- tanta
- tantos
Show the answer
tan. Before an adjective, use tan: tan tranquilo como.
2 Fill the gap with the correct form for equality of quantity with a noun.
Ella tiene ___ paciencia como su profesor.
- tan
- tanta
- tanto
- tantas
Show the answer
tanta. Paciencia is feminine singular, so tanta paciencia como.
Take the full lesson
“More, less, as much as” in the Streal course: the whole explanation, the quiz, and every YouTube extract picked for it. Free to start, nothing to install. The full lesson goes on with the rest of the explanation and more examples, the common mistakes and the practice quiz.