Spanish Comparisons
In English, adjectives can change form to indicate different degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. For example, "smart" (positive), "smarter" (comparative), and "smartest" (superlative). These forms allow speakers to compare qualities directly. However, in Spanish, the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives are expressed differently.
Spanish does not change the form of the adjective itself. Instead, it uses the words "más" (more) and "el/la más" (the most) before the adjective. For example, "inteligente" (smart) becomes "más inteligente" (smarter) and "el/la más inteligente" (the smartest).
This difference arises because Spanish relies on a periphrastic structure (using additional words) rather than inflectional morphology (changing the form of the word) to indicate comparison. This can make Spanish comparisons appear more straightforward, as the adjective remains unchanged.
Examples and Contrast:
English: "John is smarter than Paul."
Spanish: "John es más inteligente que Paul."
English: "Anna is the smartest student in the class."
Spanish: "Anna es la estudiante más inteligente de la clase."
Notice how "más" is used for "smarter" and "el/la más" for "smartest" in Spanish. The adjective "inteligente" stays the same in both sentences.
In English, adding "-er" or "-est" to the adjective modifies it directly, but in Spanish, the addition of "más" and "el/la más" provides the necessary comparative and superlative meaning without changing the adjective itself.
