#5 A1 COMPARATIVES

 

#5 A1 Comparatives

 

Hello, and welcome back to podcasts at English for French. I’m Alison and today’s podcast is all about comparatives ( aujourd’hui on va regarder comment utiliser des comparatifs en anglais).We use comparatives all the time so they can be very useful.

"Comparative" comes from the verb to compare. We use comparatives when we look at two things—it could be two people, two cities, two cars, or two days of the week—and we describe the differences between them.

Short Words (1 Syllable)

Let’s start with the most common. In English, we categorize our adjectives by how long they are—specifically, by how many syllables, or vowel sounds, they have.

When an adjective is short like tall, fast, small, or cold, the rule is easy. We take that short adjective, and we add -er directly onto the end of it. Then, to connect it to the second object, we use the word than (spelled t-h-a-n).

The Structure: Adjective + -er + than

Let's listen to how this sounds in natural, everyday conversation:

• Tall - Taller: Imagine you are standing next to your friend. You look up at him. You can say, "My friend is taller than me."
• Fast - Faster: Think about transport. A train travels quickly, but an airplane is incredible. "An airplane is faster than a train."
• Old - Older: My brother is older than me

 The "CVC" Spelling Rule

Now, let's pause for a quick written tip. When you are writing these down, look closely at short words like big, hot, or sad. These words end in a specific pattern: a Consonant, a Vowel, and another Consonant (CVC).

When a one-syllable word does this, we must double that very last letter before we add our -er( there are exceptions with vowel sounds like slow). Let's listen to how they sound.

• Big - Bigger: (spelled b-i-g-g-e-r). "An elephant is bigger than a cat."
• Hot - Hotter: (spelled h-o-t-t-e-r). "The desert is hotter than the mountains."

So..Short word? Just add -er and than. Donc pour les adjectifs d’un syllable on ajoute –« er » et le mot « than » (et si le mot finit par consonne, voyelle, consonne on double la dernière consonne.)

The "Y" Words (2 Syllables)

So here’s the rule for words ending in Y with 2 syllables, words we use for example to describe feelings and traits, like happy, heavy, easy, or friendly.

. When we want to make a comparison, we drop the -y completely, replace it with an -i, and then add our comparative -er.

Let's break these down with some clear examples so you can hear the rhythm:

• Happy- Happier: (spelled h-a-p-p-i-e-r). Imagine your friend had a bad week last week, but today they are smiling. You can say, "She looks much happier than she did yesterday."
• Heavy - Heavier: Think about packing for a vacation. You lift your suitcase, and then you lift your small backpack. "The suitcase is heavier than the backpack."
• Easy-Easier: Maybe you tried learning a language before, but English is better for you. You might say, "This grammar lesson is easier than the one I did last week."

Notice how the rhythm changes slightly, but the ending sound is exactly the same as our short words. Happier than, heavier than, easier than.

The Long Words (2 or More Syllables)

Now the third group. What do we do when an adjective is long a, 2 or more syllables? Words like beautiful, expensive, interesting, and comfortable.

English speakers prefer a smooth vocal flow, so we do not change the long adjective at all. The adjective doesn’t change, but we place a word right in front of it: the word more or less. Pour garder la musicalité de l’anglais nous ne changeons pas les adjectifs longs et on ajoute « more » / plus ou « less » / moins et après l’adjectif on ajoute comme pour tous les comparatifs, « than ».

The Structure: More/less + Adjective + than

Let's listen to how this sounds when we put it into full sentences:

• Expensive- More expensive: Think about shopping. You see a beautiful dress and a t-shirt. "The dress is more expensive than the t-shirt."
• Beautiful-More beautiful: Imagine travelling. You are standing on a hill looking at a sunset over the ocean. You might think, "The countryside is more beautiful than the city."
• Interesting- More interesting: Think about books or movies. "In my opinion, the book is always more interesting than the movie adaptation."

So, for long words, remember the golden rule: Don't change the word.

 (Irregular Comparatives)

Irregular adjectives. These are words that don’t follow the rules. They don't take an "-er", and they don't use the word "more." Les comparatifs irréguliers ne suivent pas les règles .

For A1 level, there are really only three irregulars that you need to know because you will use them often.

Good

The word good does not become "gooder". Instead, it transforms into the word better. Le mot “good “ , bien , devient le mot better , mieux.

• Let's think about food. You go to a restaurant, and the food is okay. But then you go home and eat your mother's cooking. You would say, "My mother's cooking is better than this restaurant."
• Or "My English pronunciation today is better than it was last month."

Bad

The word bad does not become "badder". It transforms into the word worse (spelled w-o-r-s-e).Le mot “bad” , mauvais deviant “worse”, pire .

• Think about the weather. Yesterday it was raining, but today it is raining and cold. "The weather today is worse than yesterday."
• Or think about being stuck in traffic. "The morning traffic is always worse than the evening traffic."

Far

The word far becomes further, not more far, le mot “far” devient further , plus loin.

• London is further away than

 

Now that we have seen all four categories, let’s take a moment to review.

When you want to compare two things, ask yourself just one question: How long is the word?

Adjective Type	Base Word	Comparative Form	Example Sentence
Short  (1 Syllable) CVC	Fast Hot	Faster than Hotter than	"A car is faster than a bicycle." Provence is hotter than London
2 Syllables)Ends in "Y"	Easy	Easier than	"Learning English is easier than learning Mandarin”
Long (2+ Syllables)	Comfortable	More (or less) comfortable than	"The sofa is more(or less) comfortable than the wooden chair."
Irregular	Good / Bad/Far	Better than Worse than Further than	"A sunny day is better than a rainy day."

 

Today, I want you to try a little exercise. Look at the things around you right now. Look at your phone, your shoes, your cup of coffee, or the weather outside your window. Try to make just two or three sentences in your head, comparing them. Pour vous entrainer, regardez autour de vous, essayez de comparer des choses simples, faites des phrases.

Is your coffee colder than it was five minutes ago? Is this podcast more difficult than last lesson’s podcast?  The more you practice, the more natural it will become.

 Everyday, your English is better than it was yesterday. Tous les jours, votre anglais est mieux que c’était hier.

Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed this podcast. See you soon at podcasts with Alison at English for French. Keep practicing

Cheers