Spanish Equality Comparisons: Using tan...como and no tan...como
Learn to say two things are equal or not equal in Spanish with tan...como, including adjective agreement and common Latin American usage.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Spanish, to say that two people or things are equal in some quality, you use the pattern tan + adjective/adverb + como. To say one is less than the other, you use no tan + adjective/adverb + como. This is different from comparisons of superiority like más...que (more...than) or superlatives like el más (the most). This lesson focuses only on equality and inequality with tan...como, so you can compare height, age, speed, price, and more. Remember that adjectives agree in gender and number with the first noun, and that tan does not change.
By the end, you can…
- say that two people or things are equal using tan + adjective + como.
- say that one person or thing is not as something as another using no tan + adjective + como.
- make the adjective agree in gender and number with the first noun.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ella es tan alta como su hermano.
She is as tall as her brother.
EH-yah es tan AL-tah KOH-moh soo er-MAH-noh
alta is feminine singular because it describes ella; tan and como stay the same.
Mi coche no es tan rápido como el tuyo.
My car is not as fast as yours.
mee KOH-cheh noh es tan RAH-pee-doh KOH-moh el TOO-yoh
rápido is masculine singular because coche is masculine; no tan...como means 'not as...as'.
Este libro es tan interesante como ese.
This book is as interesting as that one.
ES-teh LEE-broh es tan een-teh-reh-SAN-teh KOH-moh EH-seh
interesante has one form for both genders; use tan...como for equality.
Nosotros no somos tan jóvenes como ellos.
We are not as young as they are.
noh-SOH-trohs noh SOH-mohs tan HOH-veh-nes KOH-moh EH-yohs
jóvenes is plural because nosotros is plural; no tan...como shows inequality.
Hablas español tan bien como yo.
You speak Spanish as well as I do.
AH-blahs es-pah-NYOL tan byehn KOH-moh yoh
bien is an adverb, so it never changes form; tan...como works with adverbs too.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic equality pattern is tan + adjective/adverb + como. The word tan never changes, but the adjective must agree with the first item in gender and number. For example: La casa es tan grande como el apartamento. (The house is as big as the apartment.) Las casas son tan grandes como los apartamentos. (The houses are as big as the apartments.) For inequality, add no before tan: no tan...como. Mi hermana no es tan alta como yo. (My sister is not as tall as I am.) With adverbs, the form stays the same: Él corre tan rápido como ella. (He runs as fast as she does.)
When to use it
Use tan...como when you want to state that two things are equal in a quality, and no tan...como when one is less than the other. This is different from más...que, which means 'more...than'. Compare: Juan es más alto que Pedro. (Juan is taller than Pedro.) vs. Juan es tan alto como Pedro. (Juan is as tall as Pedro.) In Latin American Spanish, tan...como is standard everywhere. In some regions, especially in casual speech, people may use igual de...como, but tan...como is the most widely understood and taught form. Use it for physical traits, age, price, speed, and adverbs of manner.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Es tu hermana tan alta como tú?
Is your sister as tall as you?es too er-MAH-nah tan AL-tah KOH-moh tooNo, ella no es tan alta como yo. Es un poco más baja.
No, she is not as tall as I am. She is a little shorter.noh EH-yah noh es tan AL-tah KOH-moh yoh es oon POH-koh mas BAH-hah¿Y tu primo? ¿Es tan alto como ella?
And your cousin? Is he as tall as she is?ee too PREE-moh es tan AL-toh KOH-moh EH-yahSí, mi primo es tan alto como ella. Los dos miden lo mismo.
Yes, my cousin is as tall as she is. They both measure the same.see mee PREE-moh es tan AL-toh KOH-moh EH-yah lohs dohs MEE-den loh MEES-mohA little context goes a long way
In Latin American Spanish, tan...como is universally understood and used in both formal and informal contexts. In Spain, you may also hear igual de...como, but it is less common in Latin America. When comparing people, be mindful that commenting on physical traits can be sensitive; use these patterns neutrally, as in 'Es tan amable como su madre' (She is as kind as her mother), which focuses on personality rather than appearance.
One thing to watch for
Using más...que for equality, as in 'Ella es más alta como su hermano' or 'Ella es tan alta que su hermano'.
Try this instead: For equality, use tan...como, not más...que or tan...que. Correct: Ella es tan alta como su hermano. (She is as tall as her brother.) Remember: tan...como = as...as; más...que = more...than.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'My house is as big as yours.' (casa = house, grande = big, tuyo = yours)
Show a sample answer
Mi casa es tan grande como la tuya.
tan...como expresses equality; grande has one form for both genders, and la tuya agrees with casa (feminine). 'Mi casa es tan grande como la tuya' is the standard form. The alternative 'como la de ti' is not used in standard Spanish; use la tuya.
2Make it negative: 'El tren es tan rápido como el autobús.'
Show a sample answer
El tren no es tan rápido como el autobús.
Add no before es to make it 'not as fast as'. The adjective rápido remains masculine singular because tren is masculine. This is the standard way to express inequality with tan...como.
3Fill in the blank with tan or más: 'Ana es ___ inteligente como Luis.'
Show a sample answer
tan
The word como signals equality, so you need tan...como. If it were más...que, it would be 'Ana es más inteligente que Luis' (Ana is more intelligent than Luis). Here, tan is correct because we are saying they are equally intelligent.
Use tan + adjective/adverb + como for 'as...as' and no tan + adjective/adverb + como for 'not as...as'. Make the adjective agree with the first noun, but never change tan.
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