In this lesson, we will examine different degrees of comparison of nouns, indicating their equality, inequality, or the extreme degree of an adjective in Portuguese. We will study the comparison of equality, comparison of inequality, and superlatives.
Comparison of Equality
The two most common expressions in this category are:
tão + (adjective/adverb) + quanto … as (adjective/adverb) as …
| Este carro é tão caro quanto uma casa. | This car is as expensive as a house. |
| Ela é tão alta quanto a irmã. | She is as tall as her sister. |
| Ele fala tão claramente quanto um professor. | He speaks as clearly as a teacher. |
tanto/-a(s) + (noun) + como … as much/many (noun) as …
| Ele tem tanto dinheiro quanto um milionário. | He has as much money as amillionaire. |
| Há tantas pessoas aqui quanto em Londres. | There are as many people here as in London. |
Comparison of Inequality
The following formula is used to express inequality when comparing two adjectives, adverbs, or nouns:
mais/menos … que … more/less … than …
For example:
| Ela é mais alta que a irmã. | She is taller than her sister. |
| Ele fala mais claro que um professor. | He speaks more clearly than a teacher. |
| Ele tem mais dinheiro que o presidente. | He has more money than the president. |
| Somos menos ricos que nossos pais. | We are less rich than our parents. |
| Ele fala menos claramente que um professor. | He speaks less clearly than a teacher. |
| Ele tem menos paciência que o meu irmão. | He has less patience than my brother. |
There are a few exceptions to the above formula:
| bem | good | melhor | better |
| ruim | bad | pior | worse |
| velho | old | maior | older |
| jovem | young | menor | younger |
| grande | large | maior | larger |
| pequeno | small | menor | smaller |
It is also common to use “mais velho” and “mais jovem/novo” when referring to age, meaning “older” and “younger,” respectively. Referring to someone as “menor” can also mean “minor” or “underage.” Thus, it is more common to use “mais novo” or “mais jovem” in this case.
Superlatives
There are two ways to express the large or extreme degrees of an adjective.
Relative Superlatives
| o/a/os/as + mais/menos + (adjective) | the + most/least + (adjective) |
Inserting a noun between the definite article “o/a/os/as” and “mais/menos” is optional.
| Ela é a mais inteligente de sua classe. | She is the most intelligent in her class. |
| Somos os menos afetados pela crise. | We are the least affected by the crisis. |
| Este é o tema mais importante do país. | This is the most important topic in the country. |
| Ele é o político menos corrupto do parlamento. | He is the least corrupt politician in the parliament. |
The same exceptions used in the comparison of inequality still apply here.
| bem | good | melhor | best |
| ruim | bad | pior | worst |
| velho | old | maior | oldest |
| jovem | young | menor | youngest |
| grande | large | maior | largest |
| pequeno | small | menor | smallest |
Absolute Superlatives
One can express an absolute superlative by simply preceding the adjective with an adverb such as “muito” (very) or “extremamente” (extremely). For example:
| Este estádio está muito frio. | This stadium is very cold. |
| O café está extremamente quente. | The coffee is extremely hot. |
Next: Past Tense: Preterite & Imperfect
Other lessons in Level IV:
Level IV – Intermediate
2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect
