Learn Spanish (Latin America): El río es más largo que el lago.

In Spanish, you don't add endings like '-er' to adjectives to make comparisons. Instead, you always use más (more) or menos (less) before the adjective, followed by que (than). So, más largo que literally translates to 'more long than'.

Wait, doesn't largo mean 'large'?

This is a very common false friend! In Spanish, largo means 'long'. If you want to say 'large' or 'big', you would use the word grande.

Why do we use es instead of está here?

We use es (from the verb ser) for permanent characteristics or inherent qualities. The length of a river is a basic, defining physical trait, not a temporary condition or a location, so es is the right choice.

Why does más have an accent mark?

The accent mark shows the difference in writing between más (meaning 'more') and mas (a less common word meaning 'but'). You will also notice an accent on río to make sure the speaking stress falls on the 'i'.