Adverbs compare almost exactly like adjectives: you build "more / less / as ... than / as" around them. The two patterns you need are mais/menos + adverb + (do) que (more/less ... than) and tão + adverb + quanto/como (as ... as). The one place to be careful is the pair bem → melhor and mal → pior, which are irregular — you must never say "mais bem" for "better" in ordinary use. Adverbs can also take the superlative ending -íssimo ("cedíssimo" = super early), which English has no equivalent for.
Comparative of superiority and inferiority
To say one action is done more or less than another, wrap mais or menos around the adverb and close with (do) que. The do is optional — both do que and plain que are correct and common; do que is slightly more careful.
A Ana dirige mais devagar do que o irmão.
Ana drives more slowly than her brother.
Hoje cheguei mais cedo que ontem.
Today I arrived earlier than yesterday.
Ele fala menos alto agora que o microfone está ligado.
He's speaking less loudly now that the mic is on.
Note that the adverb itself never changes form — it has no gender or number. "Mais devagar" is the same whether the subject is ele, ela, or elas. This is the defining property of an adverb (see the adverbs-vs-adjectives page).
Comparative of equality: tão ... quanto / como
For "as ... as," use tão + adverb + quanto (or como — both work; quanto is a touch more common in Brazil).
Ela canta tão bem quanto a cantora original.
She sings as well as the original singer.
Cheguei tão tarde quanto você, não se preocupe.
I arrived as late as you did, don't worry.
Ninguém corre tão rápido como ele no time.
Nobody runs as fast as him on the team.
The irregular pair: bem → melhor, mal → pior
This is the heart of the page. The adverbs bem (well) and mal (badly) do not form their comparatives with mais. They have suppletive irregular forms:
| Adverb | Comparative | NOT |
|---|---|---|
| bem (well) | melhor (better) | ✗ mais bem |
| mal (badly) | pior (worse) | ✗ mais mal |
Ela canta melhor que eu.
She sings better than I do.
Depois do conserto, o carro anda melhor do que antes.
After the repair, the car runs better than before.
Ele joga pior quando está nervoso.
He plays worse when he's nervous.
English hides this because "well → better" and "badly → worse" are also irregular — so the instinct transfers correctly here. The danger is the learner who has internalized "more = mais" and back-forms "mais bem." That is wrong: it is melhor, full stop.
The exception: mais bem / mais mal + participle
There is one genuine exception, and it is precise: when bem or mal modifies a past participle used adjectivally, you do use mais bem / mais mal, not melhor/pior.
Este relatório está mais bem escrito que o anterior.
This report is better written than the previous one.
O time mais bem preparado venceu.
The better-prepared team won.
A casa ficou mais mal acabada do que esperávamos.
The house ended up more poorly finished than we expected.
The logic: here bem/mal is modifying an adjective-like participle (escrito, preparado, acabado), and the comparison is on the whole "bem + participle" unit, so the regular mais pattern returns. Saying "melhor escrito" is a common error you'll even hear from natives, but careful written Portuguese keeps mais bem escrito.
Superlative of adverbs
Relative superlative: o mais / o menos
To say "the most ... / the least ..." among a set, prepend the comparative with a determiner. With adverbs this is less common than with adjectives, but it occurs, especially with possível:
De todos os corredores, foi ele quem chegou mais rápido.
Of all the runners, he was the one who arrived the fastest.
Faça isso o mais rápido possível.
Do this as quickly as possible.
Absolute superlative: -íssimo on adverbs
Portuguese can intensify an adverb to the maximum with the suffix -íssimo — a feature English completely lacks (we'd say "extremely early," "super fast"). Note the mandatory accent on the í.
| Adverb | -íssimo form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cedo (early) | cedíssimo | super early |
| tarde (late) | tardíssimo | super late |
| rápido (fast) | rapidíssimo | super fast |
| pouco (little) | pouquíssimo | very little (note qu spelling) |
| perto (close) | pertíssimo | super close |
Acordei cedíssimo pra pegar o voo das seis.
I woke up super early to catch the six o'clock flight.
O mercado é pertíssimo, dá pra ir a pé.
The market is super close — you can walk there.
The everyday alternative is just muito + adverb ("muito cedo" = very early). The -íssimo form is more emphatic and colloquial-expressive. The -mente adverbs don't normally take -íssimo directly; instead you intensify the adjective and re-derive: rápido → rapidíssimo → rapidissimamente (rare, very emphatic).
Common Mistakes
❌ Ela canta mais bem que eu.
Incorrect — bem becomes melhor, never 'mais bem' (except + participle)
✅ Ela canta melhor que eu.
She sings better than I do.
❌ Ele joga mais mal sob pressão.
Incorrect — mal becomes pior
✅ Ele joga pior sob pressão.
He plays worse under pressure.
❌ Ela dirige tão devagar como que o avô.
Incorrect — don't double up 'como que'; use quanto or como alone
✅ Ela dirige tão devagar quanto o avô.
She drives as slowly as her grandfather.
❌ Corre tanto rápido quanto eu.
Incorrect — use tão (before adverbs/adjectives), not tanto
✅ Corre tão rápido quanto eu.
He runs as fast as I do.
Key Takeaways
- Superiority/inferiority: mais / menos + adverb + (do) que — the do is optional.
- Equality: tão + adverb + quanto/como.
- bem → melhor, mal → pior — never "mais bem / mais mal" in ordinary use.
- The one exception: mais bem / mais mal + past participle ("mais bem escrito").
- Adverbs take the emphatic -íssimo ("cedíssimo," "rapidíssimo") — keep the accent on í.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Comparative: Irregular FormsA2 — Four Brazilian Portuguese adjectives have irregular comparatives you must never make analytic: bom→melhor, ruim/mau→pior, grande→maior, pequeno→menor.
- Adverbs of MannerA2 — How Brazilian Portuguese says 'how' an action is done — the irregular bem/mal, dedicated adverbs like devagar and depressa, and the very common bare adjective used as an invariable adverb (fala baixo, corre rápido).
- Adverbs: OverviewA2 — What adverbs are in Brazilian Portuguese, why they never agree, the main semantic types, and how -mente formation and flexible placement work.
- Adverbs of QuantityA1 — Degree and quantity adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese — muito, pouco, mais, bastante, demais, tão, meio, bem — all invariable as adverbs, contrasted with their agreeing determiner uses; with a focus on the meio trap.