French - Comparaisons

Lesson 42 of 159

Friendly learners practicing French comparisons — lesson on how to say which option is better.

Goal: Phrases pour comparer des choses et donner votre avis

Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Bienvenue — prêt·e à trancher (ou à dire que c’est pareil) ? In this short B1 lesson we’ll hear, practice, and say common French comparison phrases. Listen, repeat, and then try them out.

Level B1: In this lesson you’ll practice useful comparison frames like « Qu’est-ce qui est mieux… », « ___ est plus ___ que ___ », and « Quelle est la différence entre… ». These CEFR-aligned phrases help you compare options, describe similarities and differences, and give clear opinions.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use common comparison frames to say which option is better or similar.
  • Ask and answer simple comparison questions (Which is better? What’s the difference?).
  • Practice short spoken responses and short comparisons in conversation.
Two people deciding between two options in French, useful for English speakers learning comparison phrases.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___ est mieux que ___.

___ is better than ___.

Meaning: ___ is better than ___.

When to use: Say this when you want to express that one option is preferable to another in a simple way.

Tip: Confondre « mieux » et « meilleur/ meilleure » — « mieux » s'emploie souvent après un verbe ou pour comparer globalement.

Ce modèle est mieux que l'ancien.
This model is better than the old one.
Pour le trajet, le train est mieux que la voiture.
For the trip, the train is better than the car.

Qu’est-ce qui est mieux, ___ ou ___ ?

Which is better, ___ or ___?

Meaning: Which is better, ___ or ___?

When to use: Ask this to request someone’s opinion when choosing between two options.

Qu’est-ce qui est mieux, le thé ou le café ?
Which is better, tea or coffee?
Qu’est-ce qui est mieux, travailler à la maison ou au bureau ?
Which is better, working from home or at the office?

___ ressemble à ___.

___ is similar to ___.

Meaning: ___ is similar to ___.

When to use: Use this to say that two things or people resemble each other.

Cette robe ressemble à celle que j'ai vue hier.
This dress is similar to the one I saw yesterday.
Ton idée ressemble à la mienne.
Your idea is similar to mine.

___ est différent de ___.

___ is different from ___.

Meaning: ___ is different from ___.

When to use: Say this when two things or people are not the same and you want to highlight the difference.

Tip: N'oubliez pas l'accord possible : différent / différente selon le sujet.

Son style est différent de celui de son frère.
His style is different from his brother's.
Le climat ici est différent de là-bas.
The climate here is different from over there.

Quelle est la différence entre ___ et ___ ?

What's the difference between ___ and ___?

Meaning: What’s the difference between ___ and ___?

When to use: Ask this to get a clear explanation of how two items, ideas, or options differ.

Quelle est la différence entre un voilier et un bateau à moteur ?
What's the difference between a sailboat and a motorboat?
Quelle est la différence entre ces deux offres ?
What's the difference between these two offers?

___ est plus ___ que ___.

___ is more ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ is more ___ than ___.

When to use: Use this to compare degree or quality with « plus » plus an adjective.

Tip: Faites attention à l'accord de l'adjectif selon le sujet (masculin/féminin).

Paris est plus grand que Lyon.
Paris is bigger than Lyon.
Ce livre est plus intéressant que l'autre.
This book is more interesting than the other one.

___ est moins ___ que ___.

___ is less ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ is less ___ than ___.

When to use: Use this when you want to say one thing has a smaller degree of a quality than another.

Ma voiture est moins rapide que la sienne.
My car is less fast than his.
Ce plat est moins épicé que l'autre.
This dish is less spicy than the other.

___ est aussi ___ que ___.

___ is as ___ as ___.

Meaning: ___ is as ___ as ___.

When to use: Say this to express equality of quality or degree between two things.

Cette chaise est aussi confortable que l'autre.
This chair is as comfortable as the other.
Il est aussi rapide que son collègue.
He is as fast as his colleague.

C’est à peu près pareil.

They're about the same.

Meaning: They’re about the same.

When to use: Use this casual phrase when the difference between two options is small or negligible.

Pour le prix, c’est à peu près pareil.
For the price, it's about the same.
Entre ces deux modèles, c’est à peu près pareil.
Between these two models, it's about the same.

Comment ___ se compare à ___ ?

How does ___ compare with ___?

Meaning: How does ___ compare with ___?

When to use: Ask someone to compare two things generally, for an overall impression.

Comment le nouveau téléphone se compare-t-il à l'ancien ?
How does the new phone compare with the old one?
Comment votre ville se compare à la mienne ?
How does your city compare with mine?

Par rapport à ___, ___ est ___.

Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

Meaning: Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

When to use: Introduce a comparison using one reference point to highlight a quality or difference.

Tip: N'oubliez pas d'accorder l'adjectif avec le sujet final.

Par rapport à l'année dernière, cette saison est plus chaude.
Compared with last year, this season is warmer.
Par rapport à Paris, Lyon est moins cher.
Compared with Paris, Lyon is cheaper.

___ a plus de ___ que ___.

___ has more ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ has more ___ than ___.

When to use: Use this to compare quantities or countable features (plus de + noun).

Tip: Rappelez-vous : on utilise « plus de » avant le nom (pas « plus des »).

Cette ville a plus de musées que la nôtre.
This city has more museums than ours.
L'école A a plus d'étudiants que l'école B.
School A has more students than School B.

___ a moins de ___ que ___.

___ has fewer ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ has fewer ___ than ___.

When to use: Use this to say one thing has a smaller amount or number than another (moins de + noun).

La petite île a moins de touristes que la grande ville.
The small island has fewer tourists than the big city.
Ce magasin a moins de produits que l'autre.
This shop has fewer products than the other.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David decide between two apartments.

A short French dialogue about choosing between a train and a bus, showing comparison phrases in use.

What are Anna and David comparing?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Qu’est-ce qui est mieux, l’appartement A ou l’appartement B ?

Which is better, apartment A or apartment B?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

L’appartement A est plus grand, mais B ressemble à notre ancienne maison.

Apartment A is bigger, but B is similar to our old house.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Par rapport au quartier, B est plus calme.

Compared with the neighborhood, B is calmer.

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

C’est à peu près pareil pour le prix. Quelle est la différence entre les charges ?

They’re about the same price. What’s the difference between the utilities?

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which French sentence means 'What’s the difference between these two offers?'

Which phrase says 'They’re about the same' in French?

Which sentence asks 'Which is better, the tea or the coffee?'

How do you say 'X has more museums than Y' in French?

For deciding, Anna asks: 'Which is better, the train or the bus?'

Pour décider, Anna demande : '___'.

After the tasting, David says: 'They're about the same.'

Après la dégustation, David dit : '___.'

Compared with Paris, Lyon is cheaper.

Par rapport à Paris, Lyon ___.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est mieux que ___.

___ is better than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Qu’est-ce qui est mieux, ___ ou ___ ?

Which is better, ___ or ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ ressemble à ___.

___ is similar to ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est différent de ___.

___ is different from ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Quelle est la différence entre ___ et ___ ?

What’s the difference between ___ and ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est plus ___ que ___.

___ is more ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est moins ___ que ___.

___ is less ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est aussi ___ que ___.

___ is as ___ as ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

C’est à peu près pareil.

They’re about the same.

Say this phrase out loud:

Comment ___ se compare à ___ ?

How does ___ compare with ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Par rapport à ___, ___ est ___.

Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ a plus de ___ que ___.

___ has more ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ a moins de ___ que ___.

___ has fewer ___ than ___.