Comparing adverbs in French follows a tidy three-way pattern: plus / moins / aussi + adverb + que. He runs faster than me is il court plus vite que moi; she works less efficiently than her colleagues is elle travaille moins efficacement que ses collègues; we sing as well as them is on chante aussi bien qu'eux. The pattern itself is mechanical and rarely a source of mistakes.
Where French gets interesting is in the irregular comparative of bien: bien → mieux (well → better), mirroring English well → better exactly. The adverb mieux is enormously frequent and must not be confused with the adjective meilleur (better) — French keeps a tidy distinction that English collapses into a single word. The comparative of mal is mostly plus mal, with the literary form pis surviving in a handful of fossilized expressions. This page covers all of it, plus the second-term of comparison rule (use stressed pronouns after que: mieux que moi, not mieux que je).
The basic pattern: plus / moins / aussi + adverb + que
There are three degrees of comparison: superiority (more), inferiority (less), and equality (as much). Each one slots an adverb between the comparison word and que.
| Degree | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| superiority | plus + adverb + que | more / -er than |
| inferiority | moins + adverb + que | less ... than |
| equality | aussi + adverb + que | as ... as |
Il court plus vite que moi.
He runs faster than I do.
Elle parle moins fort que son frère.
She speaks more quietly than her brother. (literally: less loudly)
On chante aussi bien que vous.
We sing as well as you.
Je travaille plus efficacement le matin que l'après-midi.
I work more efficiently in the morning than in the afternoon.
Tu conduis moins prudemment depuis que tu as cette nouvelle voiture.
You've been driving less cautiously since you got that new car.
The adverb itself does not change form. French adverbs are invariable, so unlike adjectives there is no agreement to worry about — plus vite stays plus vite whether the subject is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
After "que": stressed pronouns
The second term of comparison — what follows que — uses stressed pronouns (also called pronoms toniques or pronoms disjoints), not subject pronouns. English-speaking learners reach for je, tu, il instinctively, but French requires moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles.
✅ Il court plus vite que moi.
He runs faster than I do.
❌ Il court plus vite que je.
Incorrect — comparison after que requires a stressed pronoun, not a subject pronoun.
Tu danses mieux qu'elle, c'est évident.
You dance better than she does, that's obvious.
Ils travaillent moins dur que nous, mais ils gagnent plus.
They work less hard than we do, but they earn more.
Personne ne chante aussi juste que toi dans cette chorale.
Nobody in this choir sings as in tune as you do.
If the second term is a full clause (not just a pronoun), use a normal subject pronoun and a conjugated verb — but in everyday speech French often just gives you the pronoun.
Il court plus vite que je ne le fais.
He runs faster than I do. (formal, with explicit verb)
Il court plus vite que moi.
He runs faster than me. (everyday, with stressed pronoun)
The shorter form with moi is overwhelmingly more common in conversation. The longer form with que je ne le fais is reserved for formal writing.
The "ne explétif" — optional and formal only
In formal French, comparisons of inequality (plus and moins, but not aussi) can take an "expletive ne" before the verb in the que-clause. This ne is not a real negation; it's a stylistic vestige.
Il chante mieux que je ne le pensais.
He sings better than I thought. (formal — ne is expletive, not negation)
C'est plus compliqué que tu ne crois.
It's more complicated than you think. (formal)
You will encounter this in journalism, literature, and formal speech. You do not need to produce it yourself — Il chante mieux que je le pensais (without ne) is also perfectly correct and far more common in conversation.
The irregular comparative of bien: mieux
Bien does not form its comparative regularly. You do not say *plus bien. You say mieux (better) — a single irregular word, exactly parallel to English well → better (not *more well).
| Form | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| positive | bien | well |
| comparative | mieux | better |
| superlative | le mieux | (the) best |
Tu chantes mieux que moi, c'est sûr.
You sing better than I do, for sure.
On mange mieux à la maison qu'au restaurant en ce moment.
We're eating better at home than in restaurants these days.
Il connaît mieux Paris qu'il connaît sa propre ville.
He knows Paris better than he knows his own city.
Tu vois mieux avec tes nouvelles lunettes ?
Can you see better with your new glasses?
Mieux is an adverb. Meilleur is an adjective.
This is the most common slip among English speakers. English collapses both into better: she sings better (adverb), this wine is better (adjective). French keeps them strictly separate.
- Mieux modifies a verb: elle chante mieux (she sings better).
- Meilleur modifies a noun: ce vin est meilleur (this wine is better) — and it agrees: meilleur, meilleure, meilleurs, meilleures.
Elle chante mieux que sa sœur.
She sings better than her sister. (adverb — modifies chante)
Sa voix est meilleure que celle de sa sœur.
Her voice is better than her sister's. (adjective — modifies voix, agrees feminine)
On joue mieux ensemble maintenant qu'on se connaît.
We play better together now that we know each other. (adverb)
Ce restaurant est meilleur que celui qu'on essayait avant.
This restaurant is better than the one we used to try. (adjective)
The mechanical test: if the better describes how something is done, you need mieux (because it modifies a verb). If it describes what kind of thing something is, you need meilleur (because it modifies a noun).
A useful borderline case: c'est mieux vs c'est meilleur. With c'est, both work, but they mean different things:
- C'est mieux = "that's better" in a general sense (better outcome, better idea, better situation). Default.
- C'est meilleur = "it tastes better" or "it's of better quality." Used about food, drink, products.
On pourrait partir demain plutôt qu'aujourd'hui — c'est mieux.
We could leave tomorrow rather than today — that's better. (situation)
Goûte ce fromage — c'est meilleur que l'autre.
Try this cheese — it's better than the other one. (quality/taste)
Idiomatic uses of mieux
A handful of fixed expressions with mieux are worth knowing:
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| de mieux en mieux | better and better |
| tant mieux | so much the better / good for you |
| faire de son mieux | to do one's best |
| il vaut mieux + infinitive | it's better to / one had better |
| au mieux | at best |
| aller mieux | to feel better / be doing better |
Ça va de mieux en mieux depuis l'opération, merci.
It's getting better and better since the surgery, thanks.
Tu as eu une promotion ? Tant mieux pour toi !
You got a promotion? Good for you!
Il vaut mieux partir tôt si tu veux éviter les bouchons.
It's better to leave early if you want to avoid traffic jams.
Ma grand-mère va mieux, on a eu peur.
My grandmother is doing better — we were worried.
The comparative of mal: plus mal (and the literary pis)
Mal has both a regular comparative — plus mal — and an old irregular form, pis, which is mostly fossilized. In modern speech, the regular form is standard.
| Form | French | English | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| positive | mal | badly | neutral |
| comparative (modern) | plus mal | worse | neutral, everyday |
| comparative (literary/archaic) | pis | worse | literary, fossilized expressions only |
| superlative | le plus mal / le pis | (the) worst | see superlative page |
Il joue plus mal qu'avant, depuis qu'il a changé de prof.
He's playing worse than before, since he changed teachers.
Je dors plus mal depuis qu'on a déménagé.
I sleep worse since we moved.
L'équipe a joué plus mal cette année que l'année dernière.
The team played worse this year than last year.
Where pis survives
Pis (literary / archaic, but still alive in idioms) appears mainly in fixed expressions:
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tant pis | too bad / oh well |
| de pis en pis | from bad to worse |
| de mal en pis | from bad to worse (more literary) |
| qui pis est | what's worse (very literary) |
| au pis aller | at the worst / in the worst case |
On a raté le train ? Tant pis, on prendra le suivant.
We missed the train? Too bad, we'll take the next one.
La situation va de pis en pis.
The situation is going from bad to worse. (literary)
In a normal conversation, do not say il joue pis qu'avant — that sounds like you stepped out of a 19th-century novel. Use plus mal. Reserve pis for the idioms above.
Two parallel slots — plus mal and pire
A confusing cousin: the adjective mauvais (bad) has its own irregular comparative, pire (worse). This is an adjective, parallel to meilleur: cette situation est pire (this situation is worse). Do not confuse pire (adjective) with pis (adverb) — they sound similar, but pire modifies nouns while pis modifies verbs (and is mostly literary anyway).
Cette situation est pire que celle de l'année dernière.
This situation is worse than last year's. (adjective — modifies situation)
Il joue plus mal que la semaine dernière.
He's playing worse than last week. (adverb — modifies joue)
Both translate as worse in English; French keeps them apart by part of speech.
Comparison with verbs (verb + plus/moins/autant + que)
A brief related note: when you want to compare not how an action is done but how much of it is done, the structure is verb + plus/moins/autant + que — autant in place of aussi.
Il travaille plus que moi.
He works more than I do.
Tu manges autant que ton frère, c'est impressionnant.
You eat as much as your brother — that's impressive.
Elle dort moins que la moyenne des Français.
She sleeps less than the average French person.
This is technically a quantity comparison (modifying the verb's intensity), not an adverb comparison. The pattern looks similar but the adverb slot is empty — the comparative directly attaches to the verb. Autant instead of aussi is the giveaway.
Worked examples
1. He drives more cautiously than his sister. → Il conduit plus prudemment que sa sœur.
2. I sleep better since I changed beds. → Je dors mieux depuis que j'ai changé de lit. (mieux, not plus bien)
3. She sings less well than she used to. → Elle chante moins bien qu'avant. (negative comparative uses moins bien, not plus mal, unless you want a stronger negative)
4. He played worse in this match than in the previous one. → Il a joué plus mal dans ce match que dans le précédent.
5. You explain things as clearly as the teacher. → Tu expliques les choses aussi clairement que le prof.
6. This dish tastes better than yesterday's. → Ce plat est meilleur que celui d'hier. (meilleur — adjective with the noun plat, not an adverb)
7. Too bad, we'll do better next time. → Tant pis, on fera mieux la prochaine fois.
8. He runs faster than I do. → Il court plus vite que moi. (stressed pronoun after que, not je)
Common Mistakes
❌ Tu chantes plus bien que moi.
Incorrect — the comparative of bien is mieux, not 'plus bien'.
✅ Tu chantes mieux que moi.
You sing better than I do.
❌ Elle joue meilleur que son frère.
Incorrect — meilleur is an adjective. To compare a verb, use the adverb mieux.
✅ Elle joue mieux que son frère.
She plays better than her brother.
❌ Il court plus vite que je.
Incorrect — the second term of comparison takes a stressed pronoun (moi), not a subject pronoun (je).
✅ Il court plus vite que moi.
He runs faster than I do.
❌ Il joue pis qu'avant.
Sounds literary / archaic in modern French. Use plus mal in everyday speech.
✅ Il joue plus mal qu'avant.
He's playing worse than before.
❌ Goûte ce vin — c'est mieux que l'autre.
Awkward — c'est mieux refers to a general situation; for taste/quality of a noun, use c'est meilleur.
✅ Goûte ce vin — c'est meilleur que l'autre.
Try this wine — it's better than the other one.
Key takeaways
- The basic comparative pattern is plus / moins / aussi + adverb + que: plus vite que toi, moins clairement que prévu, aussi bien que possible.
- After que in a comparison, use a stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles), not a subject pronoun.
- Mieux is the irregular comparative of bien (well → better). Never plus bien.
- Mieux (adverb) modifies a verb. Meilleur (adjective) modifies a noun and agrees in gender and number. Both translate as better.
- The comparative of mal is plus mal in modern French. The form pis survives only in fixed expressions like tant pis and de pis en pis.
- Do not confuse pis (adverb, worse, literary) with pire (adjective, worse, everyday). Pire modifies nouns; pis modifies verbs and is mostly fossilized.
- The superlative of these forms is covered on adverbs/superlative-of-adverbs; the parallel system for adjectives is on adjectives/comparative.
Now practice French
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning French→Related Topics
- Les Adverbes: OverviewA1 — A map of the French adverb system: the six main types (manner, time, place, quantity, affirmation/negation, frequency), the -ment formation that powers most of them, and the default position rules that English speakers regularly get wrong.
- Adverbes de ManièreA2 — Manner adverbs answer the question 'how?' — and in French they come in three flavors: the productive -ment family, the irregular trio bien/mal/vite, and a small set of adjectives used adverbially. Plus the position rules that make or break natural-sounding French.
- Le Superlatif des AdverbesB2 — How to form the superlative of an adverb in French — le plus / le moins + adverb (with le always invariable, regardless of the subject's gender or number), the irregular le mieux from bien, and how to keep this pattern strictly distinct from the adjective superlative where the article and the adjective both agree.
- Le ComparatifA2 — How to compare two things in French — plus...que, moins...que, aussi...que — including the irregular meilleur and pire, and the special rules for tonic pronouns and the 'plus...plus' construction.
- Le SuperlatifB1 — How to say 'the most' and 'the least' in French — including the position-aware article doubling, the irregular meilleur and pire, and the subjunctive trigger inside relative clauses.
- Les Pronoms Toniques: moi, toi, lui, elle, soi, nous, vous, eux, ellesA2 — An introduction to French disjunctive (stressed) pronouns — the stand-alone forms used after prepositions, in isolation, in comparisons, and for emphasis. Why French needs a separate set of pronouns where English just uses 'me, you, him', and how the disjunctive set fits into the wider pronoun system.