French Comparisons of Equality: Using aussi...que and pas aussi...que
Learn to say two things are equal with aussi...que and unequal with pas aussi...que, plus the special forms with adjectives and adverbs.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In French, to say that two people or things are equal, you wrap the adjective or adverb between aussi and que: elle est aussi grande que son frère (she is as tall as her brother). To say they are not equal, put ne...pas around the verb: elle n'est pas aussi grande que son frère. This is different from plus...que (more than) and le plus (the most), which compare amounts rather than equality. In this lesson you will build correct sentences with aussi...que, pas aussi...que, and the irregular adverb forms mieux and moins bien.
By the end, you can…
- say that two people or things are equal using aussi + adjective/adverb + que.
- say that two people or things are not equal using ne...pas aussi...que.
- use the irregular adverb comparison aussi bien que and recognize meilleur as the adjective form.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Elle est aussi grande que son frère.
She is as tall as her brother.
ell eh toh-see grahnd kuh sohn frehr
Basic equality with an adjective; aussi goes before the adjective, que before the second item.
Mon appartement n'est pas aussi grand que le tien.
My apartment is not as big as yours.
mohn ah-par-tuh-mahn neh pah toh-see grahn kuh luh tyen
Negative equality: ne...pas wraps the verb, and aussi...que stays around the adjective.
Il parle aussi vite que sa sœur.
He speaks as fast as his sister.
eel parl toh-see veet kuh sah suhr
With an adverb, aussi...que works the same way: aussi vite que.
Je ne travaille pas aussi bien que toi.
I don't work as well as you.
zhuh nuh trah-vy pah toh-see byen kuh twah
With the adverb bien, the negative form is pas aussi bien que; do not use pas aussi bon que for manner.
Ce restaurant est aussi bon que l'autre.
This restaurant is as good as the other one.
suh res-toh-rahn eh toh-see bohn kuh lohtr
Bon is an adjective here, so aussi bon que is correct; meilleur would mean 'better', not 'as good'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core frame is aussi + adjective or adverb + que: Paul est aussi grand que Marc. In the negative, put ne...pas around the verb: Paul n'est pas aussi grand que Marc. With adverbs, the same frame applies: elle court aussi vite que lui. Note that que becomes qu' before a vowel: aussi intelligent qu'Anne. For 'as much' with nouns, use autant de...que: j'ai autant de livres que toi.
When to use it
Use aussi...que when you want to state equality, not superiority. Compare: il est plus grand que moi (he is taller than me) versus il est aussi grand que moi (he is as tall as me). Use pas aussi...que for 'less than' in everyday speech: elle n'est pas aussi rapide que lui often means 'she is slower than him'. In careful writing, moins...que is also common: elle est moins rapide que lui. Both are correct, but pas aussi...que is more conversational.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Ton frère est aussi sportif que toi ?
Is your brother as sporty as you?tohn frehr eh toh-see spor-teef kuh twahNon, il n'est pas aussi sportif que moi, mais il court aussi vite que moi.
No, he is not as sporty as me, but he runs as fast as me.nohn, eel neh pah toh-see spor-teef kuh mwah, meh eel koor toh-see veet kuh mwahEt ta sœur, elle est aussi grande que lui ?
And your sister, is she as tall as him?eh tah suhr, ell eh toh-see grahnd kuh lweeOui, elle est aussi grande que lui, et elle chante aussi bien que lui.
Yes, she is as tall as him, and she sings as well as him.wee, ell eh toh-see grahnd kuh lwee, eh ell shahnt toh-see byen kuh lweeA little context goes a long way
In French, comparisons with que often use stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui, elle) rather than subject pronouns: aussi grand que moi, not que je. In very formal writing, que je suis may appear, but it sounds stiff in conversation. Regional French outside Europe generally follows the same pattern; no major dialect split affects aussi...que.
One thing to watch for
Using plus...que when you mean equality: *Elle est plus grande que son frère for 'She is as tall as her brother.'
Try this instead: Use aussi...que for equality: Elle est aussi grande que son frère. Reserve plus...que for 'more than': Elle est plus grande que son frère means she is taller, not equal.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'My car is as fast as your car.'
Show a sample answer
Ma voiture est aussi rapide que ta voiture.
Aussi goes before the adjective rapide, and que introduces the second item. You can also say que la tienne to avoid repeating voiture.
2Make it negative: 'He is not as tall as his father.'
Show a sample answer
Il n'est pas aussi grand que son père.
Ne...pas wraps the verb est, and aussi...que stays around grand. Pas aussi grand que is the standard spoken form.
3Choose the correct adverb: 'She sings as well as her sister.'
Show a sample answer
Elle chante aussi bien que sa sœur.
Use bien, not bon, because chanter is a verb and bien is the adverb. Aussi bon que would describe a noun, not how she sings.
For equality, use aussi + adjective/adverb + que; for inequality, wrap ne...pas around the verb. Remember autant de...que for nouns and bien (not bon) for adverbs.
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