Pin Me

Studying Spanish: Exercises Using Comparisons

written by: Audrey Alleyne โ€ข edited by: Tricia Goss โ€ข updated: 7/12/2012

Need Spanish study guides on how to make comparisons and learn about equality and inequality. If so, you've come to the right place! We've also provided a free download you can print again and again to help you practice and improve your Spanish skills!

  • slide 1 of 5

    The Use of Mรกs and Menos

    When you compare verbs which are not equal in Spanish, you are comparing things that are unequal. You need to use the word mรกs which indicates a greater amount, and menos which indicates a lesser amount. Look at these examples:

    Ana es mรกs pequeรฑa que su hermana.

    Ana is smaller than her sister.

    Marรญa es mรกs gorda que su prima.

    Marรญa is fatter than her cousin.

    Pablo es mรกs gordo que tรบ

    Paul is fatter than you.

  • slide 2 of 5

    Worksheet Exercise With Adjectives

    Revise your adjectives and then perform the following exercise.

    Following the model, complete these sentences with your own nouns or pronouns, using the given adjectives.

    Pablo es mรกs delgado que su hermano.

    1. ___________feo________________
    2. __________ guapo______________
    3. ___________inteligente___________
    4. ___________alto________________
    5. ___________baja_________________

    feo-ugly, guapo โ€“ handsome, inteligente โ€“ intelligent, alto- tall, baja- short

  • slide 3 of 5

    Worksheet Exercise With Verbs

    Revise your verbs and then perform the following exercise. Use your own nouns or pronouns where necessary and follow the pattern of the model sentence.

    Juan estudia menos que su hermana.

    1. __________trabaja_________su amigo.
    2. ร‰l habla________________ usted.
    3. __________como___________ella.
    4. ____________lee_________su amiga.
    5. ____________bebe_________su mujer.

    trabajar โ€“to work, hablar โ€“ to speak, comer โ€“ to eat - leer โ€“ to read, beber โ€“ to drink.

  • slide 4 of 5

    How To Say Better and Worse

    If you want to say better or worse, you do not use mรกs bien or mรกs mal. Use the adverbs mejor โ€“better, and peor โ€“ worse.

    For example:

    Ella baila major que yo.

    She dances better than I do.

    Carla canta mejor que su amiga.

    Carla sings better than her friend.

    Juana escribe peor que Lola.

    Juana writes worse than Lola.

    Ella habla peor que tรบ.

    She speaks worse than you.

    Combine the following statements to make one sentence, using mejor and peor.

    1. Juana baila muy bien. Carla no baila muy bien.
    2. Marรญa habla muy mal. Pablo no habla muy mal.
    3. Mi hermano nada muy bien. Yo no nado muy bien.
    4. Juana escribe muy mal. Pedro no escribe muy mal.
    5. Tu madre cocina muy bien. Esta mujer no cocina muy bien.

    Answers:

    1. Juana baila mejor que Carla. โ€“ Juana dances better than Carla
    2. Maria habla peor que Pablo.- Marรญa speaks worse than Paul does.
    3. Mi hermano nada mejor que yo. โ€“ My brother swims better than I do.
    4. Juana escribe peor que Pedro.- Juana writes worse than Pedro does.
    5. Tu madre cocina mejor que esta mujer.- Your mother cooks better than this woman.
  • slide 5 of 5

    Superlatives

    As in English, when you need to extend a comparison in Spanish, you use a superlative. To use superlatives in Spanish, a definite article plus a noun is placed before mรกs plus an adjective. If a complement is added to extend the idea of the difference further, the complement is introduced by de. For example:

    Marta es la chica mรกs inteligente de la clase.

    The noun may also be omitted. Both these sentences are correct.

    Marta es la mรกs inteligente de la clase.

    Marta is the most intelligent girl in the class.

    Rewrite the following sentences to use a superlative construction.

    1. En Mรฉxico no hay otro mรฉdico tan conocido como el doctor Garcรญa.
    2. En la universidad no hay otro professor tan serio como el professor Mรฉndez.
    3. En la clase no hay otra chica tan bonita como Marรญa.
    4. En mi casa no hay otra persona tan diligente como mi madre.
    5. En el pueblo no hay otra tienda tan buena como esta tienda.

    Answers:

    1. El doctor Garcรญa es el doctor mรกs conocido de Mรฉxico.
    2. El professor Mรฉndez es el professor mรกs serio de la universidad.
    3. Marรญa es la chica mรกs bonita de la clase.
    4. Mi madre es la persona mรกs diligente de mi casa.
    5. Esta tienda es la tienda mรกs buena del pueblo.

    You may download a worksheet for comparisons for Spanish lessons here.