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Comparisons: 'plus…que', moins…que', 'aussi…que'

Learning outcomes

I can compare people or things using three different comparative adjectives with 'que'.

I can pronounce [om] and [on] as identical nasal sounds before a consonant, and different oral sounds before a vowel.

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Comparisons: 'plus…que', moins…que', 'aussi…que'

Learning outcomes

I can compare people or things using three different comparative adjectives with 'que'.

I can pronounce [om] and [on] as identical nasal sounds before a consonant, and different oral sounds before a vowel.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Normally the SSCs [om] and [on] are identical nasal sounds. However they sound different when placed before a vowel.
  2. Before a vowel the ‘om’ and ‘on’ are pronounced as oral sounds, so they sound different from one another.
  3. To compare people and things in French, we say one is more/less + adjective than another. We use 'que' for 'than'.
  4. We use 'plus ... que' for 'more than', 'moins ... que' for 'less than' and 'aussi ... que' for 'as... as'.
  5. 'Bon' (good) and 'mauvais' (bad) have special comparative forms: 'meilleur' (better) and 'pire' (worse).

Keywords

  • [om] - sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in ‘nom’, a nasal sound

  • [on] - sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in ‘non’, a nasal sound

  • Comparative - a form of adjective or adverb used to compare people, things or ideas

Common misconception

There is an equivalent way to add -er onto adjectives to make comparisons like in English.

We cannot change adjectives to make comparisons in French. To compare two people or things, we instead have to say that one is more or less 'something' than another. For example: 'Elle est plus grande que son frère.' She is taller than her brother.

This lesson is all about comparisons and students can usually really engage with this. You could use a visual hook and encourage them to compare two images, or they could get creative and write funny comparisons e.g. comparing pets to family members.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the parts of the verb 'choisir'.
Correct Answer:Je,choisis
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choisis

Correct Answer:Il/elle,choisit
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choisit

Correct Answer:Nous,choisissons
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choisissons

Correct Answer:Vous,choisissez
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choisissez

Correct Answer:Ils/elles,choisissent
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choisissent

Q2.
Which of the words below means a sixth form college?
Correct answer: lycée
collège
école
Q3.
Translate 'réussir un examen'.
Correct Answer: to pass an exam, pass an exam, passing an exam, take an exam
Q4.
What does 'une note' mean in English?
a note
a letter
Correct answer: a mark
a notice
Q5.
Put the words in the correct order to translate, 'The girl is funny but the boy isn't funny.'
1 - La fille
2 - est
3 - amusante
4 - mais
5 - le garçon
6 - n'est pas
7 - amusant
Q6.
'Blanc' (white) is an irregular adjective. Can you match the forms of the adjective?
Correct Answer:blanc,masculine
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masculine

Correct Answer:blanche,feminine
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feminine

Correct Answer:blancs,masculine plural
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masculine plural

Correct Answer:blanches,feminine plural
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feminine plural

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the adjectives.
Correct Answer:sûr,safe
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safe

Correct Answer:mince,slim
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slim

Correct Answer:meilleur,better
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better

Correct Answer:gros,fat
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fat

Correct Answer:gentil,kind
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kind

Correct Answer:dangereux,dangerous
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dangerous

Q2.
To say someone is 'smaller than' in French we use ...
Correct answer: plus petit que
moins petit que
aussi petit que
Q3.
Put the words in the correct order to translate; 'The dog is bigger than the cat'.
1 - Le chien
2 - est
3 - plus
4 - grand
5 - que
6 - le chat
Q4.
Put the words in the correct order to translate; the girl is as big as the boy.
1 - La fille
2 - est
3 - aussi
4 - grande
5 - que
6 - le
7 - garçon
Q5.
What is the French word for 'worse'?
Correct Answer: pire, le pire
Q6.
Translate: Le chat est moins grand.
Correct Answer: The cat is smaller., The cat is less big.

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Lesson appears in

UnitFrench / Friends and family: comparison with adjectives and adverbs

French