WHEN MAKING COMPARISONS IN SPANISH, IT'S
IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORDS SO
THAT THE SENTENCE MAKES SENSE. HERE ARE SOME
TIPS TO HELP YOU DECIDE HOW TO CONSTRUCT
YOUR SENTENCES.
1) THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO COMPARE
Are you comparing a characteristic (like height or
speed)?
Are you comparing the amount of something (like
fun or speed)?
Are you comparing how something is done (like
running or studying)?
2) CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE TYPE OF WORD:
Adjective: If you are describing a characteristic
(how something is).
Ejemplo: Un hotel es más divertido que un camping. (A
hotel is more fun than a campsite.)
Noun: If you are talking about the amount of
something.
Ejemplo: Un hotel ofrece más diversión que un
camping. (A hotel offers more fun than a campsite.)
Adverb: If you are describing how something is
done.
Ejemplo: Ella corre más rápidamente que su hermano.
(She runs more quickly than her brother.)
Verb: If you are comparing an action.
Ejemplo: Ella corre más que su hermano. (She runs
more than her brother.)
3) HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO USE:
Adjective: Ask yourself if you are describing a
direct quality of the object.
Ejemplo: How is a hotel? Un hotel es más divertido que
un camping (A hotel is more fun than a campsite.)
Noun: Ask yourself if you are talking about the
amount of something the object has or gives.
Ejemplo: What does a hotel offer? Un hotel ofrece
más diversión que un camping (A hotel offers more
fun than a campsite.)
Adverb: Ask yourself how the action is done.
Ejemplo: How does she run? Ella corre más
rápidamente que su hermano (She runs more quickly
than her brother.)
Verb: Ask yourself if you are comparing the action
itself.
Ejemplo: What do they do? Ella corre más que su
hermano (She runs more than her brother.)
4) AVOID COMMON MISTAKES:
The key here is that when you use a noun, you
need a verb to indicate what the noun is doing or
how it relates to the subject of the sentence.
Incorrect: Un hotel es más diversión que un camping.
(Here, "diversión" is a noun and needs a verb like
"ofrecer" to make sense).
In this sentence, "es" (ser) is a verb, but it doesn't properly
connect with "diversión" (fun) in a way that makes sense. The
phrase "más diversión" (more fun) needs a verb that shows what
the hotel is providing or doing with the fun.
The structure "es más diversión" is not correct because "es"
implies an equivalence or a characteristic of the subject (the
hotel). "Diversión" is a noun that describes an activity or
experience, not an inherent characteristic of the hotel.
Therefore, we need a verb that explains the action the hotel is
performing with the fun.
Correct: Un hotel ofrece más diversión que un
camping. (Here, "ofrece" is the verb that makes
"diversión" make sense in the sentence).
"Ofrece" indicates the action the hotel is performing, that is, the
hotel is providing fun.
Thus, the structure is coherent and clear: "A hotel offers more
fun than a campsite."
Do not confuse adjectives with adverbs. Make
sure to use adjectives to describe nouns and
adverbs to describe verbs.
Incorrect: Ella corre más rápido que su hermano. (Here,
"rápido" should be an adverb).
Correct: Ella corre más rápidamente que su hermano.
(Here, "rápidamente" is the correct adverb).