Comparison
(a) You can compare two different objects in terms of one quality:
La chaise est plus haute que le banc.
The chair is higher than the bench.
or two different qualities in one object:
Le jardin est plus long que large.
The garden is longer than it is wide.
The comparative forms plus or moins, which express inequality, are often used with adjectives, as in the two previous and the two following examples:
Je suis plus grande que lui.
I am taller than he is.
Il est plus petit que moi.
He is smaller than I am.
and with adverbs:
Paris est moins loin que Lyon.
Paris is not as far as Lyons. (or Paris is less distant than Lyons.)
Lyon est moins près que Paris.
Lyons is less near than Paris. (or Lyons is not as near as Paris.)
In order to express total superiority or inferiority, you use superlative forms
Ne va pas traîner par là, c’est un des quartiers les plus pourris de la ville.
Don’t hang around there, it’s one of the worst parts of the city.
Ne me provoquez pas, vous savez bien que de nous trois, je suis le plus fort et le moins bête!
Don’t provoke me! You know very well I’m the strongest and the least stupid of the three of us.
C’est l’élève le moins assidu de tous.
He’s the laziest pupil of the lot.
La France est le deuxième grand producteur de vin après l’Italie.
France is the second biggest producer of wine after Italy.
Je suis le meilleur en maths mais le dernier en anglais.
I’m top in maths but bottom in English.
(b) Sometimes, you make a comparison to show equality, or similarity, using phrases such as aussi… que with adjectives
or with adverbs:
La chaise est aussi haute que le banc.
The seat is as high as the bench.
Le jardin est aussi large que long.
The garden is as broad as it’s long.
Je cours aussi vite que lui.
I can run as fast as him.
or with nouns. Here, you can use a verb être, avoir, faire… + article + même +noun
Le banc et la chaise sont de la même hauteur.
The bench and the chair are the same height.
Ma mère et moi faisons la même taille.
My mother and I are the same size.