Comparatives and Superlatives in Spanish

To indicate that something has more or less of a certain description, we use the adverbs más [more] or menos [less] before an adjective. These form sentences known as comparatives. This is similar to the use of "less" and "more" with adjectives in English as well as use of the suffix "-er."
Examples:
Pedro es alto. [Pedro is tall.]
Luis es más alto. [Luis is taller.]
Julio es menos alto. [Julio is less tall.]

To include a direct comparison to another person, use the word que [than] after the adjective.
Examples:
María es atlética. [María is athletc.]
Inéz es más atlética que María. [Inéz is more athletic than María.]
Rosa es menos atlética que María. [Rosa is less athletic than María.]

A superlative sentence tells that someone or something has the most or the least of a certain quality. In English, these types of sentences are formed with the suffix "-est," but also by saying "the most..." of "the least...", which is similar to the pattern in Spanish. In Spanish, superlatives follow the same pattern as comparatives, with the addition of the definite article (el, la, los, or las) before másor menos.
Examples:
Luis es el más alto. [Luis is the tallest.]
Julio es el menos alto. [Julio is the least tall.]
Inéz es la más atlética. [Inéz is the most athletic.]
Rosa es la menos atlética. [Rosa is the least athletic.]

There are several common irregular comparatives and superlatives. Examples:
El queso es bueno. [Cheese is good.]
La pizza es mejor. [Pizza is better.]
El helado es el mejor. [Ice cream is the best]

Yolanda es menor que Margarita y Sara. [Yolanda is younger than Margarita and Sara.]
Yolanda es la menor de sus amigas. [Yolanda is the youngest of her friends.]

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