A2 Portuguese GrammarComparatives & Superlatives
Learn to compare things in Portuguese using comparatives (mais/menos...que) and superlatives (o mais/o menos). Master regular forms with mais and menos, irregular comparatives like melhor, pior, maior, menor, and the difference between relative and absolute superlatives. Essential for describing preferences and making choices.
1Regular Comparatives
Portuguese comparatives are formed with mais (more) or menos (less) + adjective/adverb + que (than). Unlike English, Portuguese doesn't add -er to adjectives. The adjective still agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use do que instead of que before pronouns or when emphasizing the comparison.
Comparative Structure
| Type | Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superiority | mais + adj + que | mais alto que | taller than |
| Inferiority | menos + adj + que | menos caro que | less expensive than |
| Equality | tĂŁo + adj + como | tĂŁo bonito como | as beautiful as |
| Before pronoun | mais + adj + do que | mais velho do que eu | older than me |
Examples
Lisboa Ă© mais antiga que BrasĂlia.
Lisbon is older than BrasĂlia.
mais + antiga + que = older than
Este hotel Ă© menos caro que aquele.
This hotel is less expensive than that one.
menos + caro + que = less expensive than
Ela Ă© tĂŁo inteligente como ele.
She is as intelligent as him.
tĂŁo...como = equality comparison
Tu Ă©s mais alto do que eu.
You are taller than me.
do que before pronoun 'eu'
2Irregular Comparatives
Some common adjectives have irregular comparative forms that don't use mais. These must be memorized: bom → melhor (better), mau → pior (worse), grande → maior (bigger), pequeno → menor (smaller). The words bom/mau and grande/pequeno also have regular forms (mais bom, mais grande) but the irregular forms are preferred.
Irregular Comparative Forms
| Adjective | Meaning | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bom | good | melhor | better |
| mau | bad | pior | worse |
| grande | big | maior | bigger |
| pequeno | small | menor | smaller |
| muito | much | mais | more |
| pouco | little | menos | less |
Examples
Este vinho Ă© melhor que aquele.
This wine is better than that one.
melhor = better (irregular)
O tempo hoje está pior que ontem.
The weather today is worse than yesterday.
pior = worse (irregular)
A minha casa Ă© maior que a tua.
My house is bigger than yours.
maior = bigger (irregular)
Esta caixa Ă© menor que aquela.
This box is smaller than that one.
menor = smaller (irregular)
3Relative Superlatives
The relative superlative expresses the highest degree within a group. It's formed with: definite article + mais/menos + adjective + de. The article agrees with the noun: o mais alto (the tallest, masc.), a mais alta (the tallest, fem.). Irregular forms: o melhor (the best), o pior (the worst), o maior (the biggest), o menor (the smallest).
Relative Superlative Forms
| Adjective | Masc. Superlative | Fem. Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto | o mais alto | a mais alta | the tallest |
| bom | o melhor | a melhor | the best |
| mau | o pior | a pior | the worst |
| grande | o maior | a maior | the biggest |
Examples
Ela Ă© a aluna mais inteligente da turma.
She is the most intelligent student in the class.
a mais inteligente + da (in the)
Este Ă© o melhor restaurante da cidade.
This is the best restaurant in the city.
o melhor = the best (irregular)
Foi o pior dia da minha vida.
It was the worst day of my life.
o pior = the worst (irregular)
O Everest Ă© a montanha mais alta do mundo.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
a mais alta + do mundo = superlative + scope
4Absolute Superlatives
The absolute superlative expresses a very high degree without comparison. In Portuguese, add -Ăssimo/a to the adjective stem (remove final vowel first). This ending agrees in gender and number: lindo → lindĂssimo (masc.), lindĂssima (fem.). Alternatively, use muito + adjective: muito bonito. Some adjectives have irregular forms.
Absolute Superlative Formation
| Adjective | -Ăssimo Form | Alternative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| belo | belĂssimo | muito belo | very beautiful |
| rico | riquĂssimo | muito rico | very rich |
| fácil | facĂlimo | muito fácil | very easy |
| bom | Ăłtimo/bonĂssimo | muito bom | very good |
Examples
A comida estava deliciosĂssima.
The food was absolutely delicious.
-Ăssima ending for fem. noun
Ele Ă© riquĂssimo.
He is extremely rich.
rico → riquĂssimo (c → qu before i)
O exame foi facĂlimo.
The exam was very easy.
fácil → facĂlimo (irregular)
Este hotel Ă© Ăłtimo.
This hotel is excellent.
Ăłtimo = absolute superlative of bom