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Year 8 - French

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

Friends and family: comparison with adjectives and adverbs

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils extend their knowledge of feminine adjective agreement before then learning the comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs and exploring these in comparative structures 'plus...que', 'moins...que' and 'aussi...que. Pupils learn the SSCs om,on and um,un before a vowel.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to compare people or things using three different comparative adjectives with 'que'.

Key Notes

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

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [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 Mistakes To Avoid

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

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

Normally the SSCs [om] and [on] are identical nasal sounds. However they sound different when placed before a vowel. Before a vowel the 'om' and 'on' are pronounced as oral sounds, so they sound different from one another.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[om]'

sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'nom', a nasal sound. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

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

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 French guide library.