Making comparisons
This is how we compare adjectives, adverbs and nouns:
- Comparative of majority (+):
più (more) + adjective / adverb / noun + di (than)
Magda è più gentile di Carlotta.
Magda is kinder than Carlotta.
Ruggero ha fatto più errori di Betty.
Ruggero has made more mistakes than Betty.
conjugated verb + più di (more than)
Carlotta mangia più di Anna.
Carlotta eats more than Anna.
conjugated verb + più del (more than) + past participle
Francesca parla più del dovuto.
Francesca talks more than she should.
- Comparative of inferiority (-):
meno (less) + adjective / adverb / noun + di (than)
Ciro è meno intelligente di Anna.
Ciro is less intelligent than Anna.
conjugated verb + meno di (less than)
Ruggero lavora meno di Magda.
Ruggero works less than Magda.
conjugated verb + meno del (less than) + past participle
Piove meno del previsto.
It is raining less than expected.
- Comparison of equality (=):
(tanto) (“as”, optional) + adjective / adverb / noun + quanto (as)
La macchina è (tanto) veloce quanto la moto.
The car is as fast as the motorbike.
verb + tanto quanto (as much as)
Anna legge tanto quanto Magda.
Anna reads as much as Magda.
Notes:
- When comparing things that are the same using a noun, tanto and quanto agree with the noun (in terms of gender and number):
Betty ha tanti anni quanti il suo hotel.
Betty is as old as her hotel (literally, “Betty has as many years as her hotel”).
- When comparing things that are the same using adjectives and adverbs, we can use come instead of (tanto)… quanto:
Anna è alta come Magda.
Anna is as tall as Magda.
Questa moto va veloce come la tua auto.
This motorbike goes as fast as your car.
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