Learn Italian: Loro sono più generosi che egoisti. - They are more generous than selfish.

Loro sono più generosi che egoisti.

They are more generous than selfish.

Breakdown of Loro sono più generosi che egoisti.

more / anymore (with 'non')

che

than (in comparisons)

Questions & Answers about Loro sono più generosi che egoisti.

Why is che used for "than" in this sentence instead of di?

We use che when comparing two adjectives (generosi and egoisti) that describe the same subject (Loro). If you were comparing two different people or things—for example, "They are more generous than Marco"—you would use di (di Marco).

The singular word is egoista, so why does the plural end in -i (egoisti)?

Adjectives ending in -ista (like egoista or ottimista) are the same for both masculine and feminine in the singular. But in the plural, they follow a special pattern: masculine becomes -isti and feminine becomes -iste. Since generosi tells us the group is masculine (or mixed), we use egoisti.

Would the grammar rule be the same if we wanted to say "less generous"?

Yes, the rule is exactly the same! If you wanted to say "They are less generous than selfish," you would say Loro sono meno generosi che egoisti. You still use che whenever you are comparing two adjectives.

Can we leave out Loro and just start the sentence with Sono?