⚖️Comparison
Like, than, better, as much, also — how you hold two things up against each other.
7 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
like / as preposition · comparison | like Like + noun (like me); as + clause (as I said). Learners mix them constantly. | comme Does both jobs: comme moi AND comme j'ai dit. One word where English needs two. | como Also both. Watch the accent: cómo with one is 'how?'. |
than conjunction · comparison | than One word, one job. English is unusual in having a dedicated one. | que Plus grand QUE moi. The same que as 'that' — French makes it work overtime. | que Más alto que yo. But 'more than' + a number is más DE: más de diez. |
better adverb · comparison, degree | better Not 'gooder'. Suppletive — a different root entirely, and the same is true across the family. | mieux Adverb. The ADJECTIVE is meilleur — c'est mieux (it's better) vs c'est meilleur (it tastes better). French keeps them apart and learners do not. | mejor Does both jobs, unlike French: es mejor covers both senses. |
as much / as many adverb · comparison, quantity | as much as much + uncountable, as many + countable. English is one of the few languages here that insists on the difference. | autant autant de + any noun — no countable/uncountable split. Tant is the same word used for emphasis: tant pis. | tanto Agrees: tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas. Tanto como = as much as. |
also / too adverb · comparison | also also mid-sentence, too at the end. 'Me too', never 'me also'. | aussi Moi aussi. It is also the 'as' of comparison: aussi grand que moi. | también Yo también. The negative counterpart is tampoco — 'me neither'. |
the opposite noun · comparison | the opposite 'The opposite of' — and 'on the contrary' when you are correcting someone. | le contraire Au contraire is the fixed phrase for contradicting: 'on the contrary'. | lo contrario The lo is the neuter article — it makes an abstraction out of an adjective. |
likewise / in the same way adverb · comparison | likewise Formal. In speech it is 'same here', or 'you too' when it is a reply. | de même De même que + clause is 'just as'. Moi de même is what you say back — 'same here'. | igualmente And this is the REFLEX: say ¡buen provecho! and igualmente comes back at you automatically. Asimismo is the written one. |