Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Making comparisons

To compare two things in Portuguese, use structures that translate to "more... than" and "less... than".

The phrase for "than" is do que.

than
do que

More than (Superiority)

To say something has more of a quality, use mais (more) followed by an adjective, then do que. Because adjectives describe the subject, they must agree in gender and number with the first noun in the sentence.

The movie is more interesting than the book.
O filme é mais interessante do que o livro.
My mobile phone is lighter than your computer.
O meu telemóvel é mais leve do que o teu computador.

Less than (Inferiority)

To say something has less of a quality, use menos (less).

less
menos

The structure works exactly the same way: menos + adjective + do que.

The chair is less heavy than the table.
A cadeira é menos pesada do que a mesa.
The airplane is less dangerous than the car.
O avião é menos perigoso do que o carro.

Comparing actions

You can also compare how much two subjects perform an action. Just place mais do que or menos do que directly after the verb.

We can work less than them today.
Nós podemos trabalhar menos do que eles hoje.

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