Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 26
Quem é mais alto?Who is taller?
Describing and comparing people. Vocabulary: alto, baixo, magro, forte, jovem, simpático, inteligente, o cabelo, os olhos, parecido. Key point: the comparative is made with "mais/menos + adjective + (do) que" — "Ele é mais alto do que eu" (He is taller than me), "Ela é menos tímida que a irmã" (She is less shy than her sister). But four adjectives have their own form and never take "mais": bom → melhor, ruim → pior, grande → maior, pequeno → menor. English speakers say "mais bom" ✗ → "melhor" ✓, "mais grande" ✗ → "maior" ✓. The superlative is "o/a mais … de": "o mais alto da turma" (the tallest in the class).
Dialogue
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mais grande? maior!
- LucasMike, como é o seu apartamento novo?Mike, what is your new apartment like?
- MikeÉ mais grande do que o antigo.It is bigger than the old one. (slip: grande has its own comparative — say "maior", not "mais grande")
- LucasDizemos "maior", não "mais grande". Grande vira maior sozinho.We say "maior", not "mais grande". Grande becomes maior on its own.
- MikeAh, é maior. E a vista é mais bom...Ah, it is bigger. And the view is more good... (slip: bom → melhor, not "mais bom")
- LucasMelhor! A vista é melhor. Parabéns pelo apartamento maior e com a vista melhor.Melhor! The view is better. Congratulations on the bigger apartment with the better view.
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Os dois irmãos— The two brothers
- BiaOs seus irmãos são parecidos?Are your brothers alike?
- LucasUm pouco. O Pedro é mais alto do que o Tiago, mas o Tiago é mais forte.A little. Pedro is taller than Tiago, but Tiago is stronger.
- BiaE quem é mais novo?And who is younger?
- LucasO Tiago. Ele é o mais novo da família, mas é o melhor no futebol.Tiago. He is the youngest in the family, but he is the best at football.
- BiaEntão ele é tão bom quanto você!So he is as good as you!
Vocabulary
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- alto
adjectivetall, high
- baixo
adjectiveshort (person), low
- magro
adjectivethin, slim
- forte
adjectivestrong
- jovem
adjectiveyoung
- simpático
adjectivefriendly, nice
- inteligente
adjectiveintelligent, smart
- o cabelo
n.m.hair
- os olhos
n.m.pl.eyes
- parecido
adjectivealike, similar (parecido com = similar to)
- melhor
adjectivebetter (irregular: bom → melhor)
Grammar
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Comparing: mais/menos … (do) que; melhor, maior
Explanation
To compare, you surround the adjective: "mais + adjective + do que" (more…) or "menos + adjective + do que" (less…). The "do que" can shorten to just "que": "Ele é mais alto do que eu" = "Ele é mais alto que eu" (He is taller than me). To say they are equal, use "tão + adjective + quanto": "Ela é tão alta quanto o irmão" (She is as tall as her brother). Careful: four common adjectives have their own comparative and never take "mais": bom → melhor, ruim → pior, grande → maior, pequeno → menor. You say "Este é melhor" (not "mais bom"), "A casa é maior" (not "mais grande"). The superlative — the most of all — is "o/a mais + adjective + de": "Ele é o mais alto da turma" (He is the tallest in the class), "Ela é a melhor da classe" (She is the best in the class).
Examples
- Meu irmão é mais alto do que eu.My brother is taller than me.
- Este celular é melhor do que o meu.This phone is better than mine.
- A casa dela é maior do que a nossa.Her house is bigger than ours.
- A Ana é a mais inteligente da turma.Ana is the smartest in the class.
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