Portuguese grammar · Elementary (A2)
Comparatives and superlatives
How to compare things in Portuguese: mais… do que, tão… quanto, melhor, pior, maior, menor, o mais… and the ending -íssimo.
More and less: mais… (do) que
To say “more… than”, put (more) before an adjective, a noun or an adverb, and before the second thing: (more expensive than). For “less”, use . You can also say just : . Both are correct; is a little more common in speech.
Before a number, use and , not : (more than a thousand reais). After , use , , : (She works more than me).
- Este apartamento é mais caro do que o outro.This flat is more expensive than the other one.
- Botafogo é mais barulhento que a Tijuca.Botafogo is noisier than Tijuca.
- Aqui o aluguel é menos caro.The rent is cheaper here.
- O apartamento tem mais de cem metros quadrados.The flat has more than a hundred square metres.
- Paguei menos de mil reais.I paid less than a thousand reais.
As… as: tão… quanto
To say two things are equal, use + adjective or adverb + : (as pretty as). With a noun, use , which agrees with the noun: , , , + . After a verb, say : .
You'll also hear instead of (), especially in writing and in Portugal.
- A Tijuca é tão bonita quanto Botafogo.Tijuca is as nice as Botafogo.
- Aqui não tem tantos restaurantes quanto lá.There aren't as many restaurants here as there.
- Ele trabalha tanto quanto você.He works as much as you.
Irregular forms: melhor, pior, maior, menor
Four adjectives have their own comparative forms. Don't say mais bom or mais grande. and also mean “better” and “worse” for the adverbs (well) and (badly). In Portugal you'll hear ; in Brazil, say .
These forms don't change for masculine and feminine, but they take -es in the plural: , .
| Word | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| / (good), (well) | (better) | / (the best) |
| , / (bad), (badly) | (worse) | / (the worst) |
| (big) | (bigger) | / (the biggest) |
| / (small) | (smaller) | / (the smallest) |
- A varanda deste apartamento é maior.This flat's balcony is bigger.
- O trânsito hoje está pior do que ontem.The traffic is worse today than yesterday.
- Ela fala inglês melhor do que eu.She speaks English better than me.
The most: o mais… de
For “the most” or “the least”, use the article with or : (the cheapest flat). The noun goes between the article and . “In” after a superlative is , with its usual contractions: (the quietest neighbourhood in the city).
- É a praia mais bonita da ilha.It's the most beautiful beach on the island.
- Este é o quarto menos barulhento do hotel.This is the least noisy room in the hotel.
- Foi o melhor fim de semana do ano.It was the best weekend of the year.
Very, very: -íssimo
The ending -íssimo means “extremely”. Drop the final vowel of the adjective and add it: → , → . It agrees like any adjective: , . Words in -co and -go keep their sound: → , → .
In everyday speech Brazilians also use or before the adjective: , (really expensive).
- O aluguel é caríssimo.The rent is extremely expensive.
- A trilha é lindíssima.The trail is absolutely beautiful.
- Esse restaurante é bem barato.That restaurant is really cheap.
- A gente ficou pouquíssimo tempo lá.We stayed there for a very short time.