Spanish - Comparisons

Lesson 42 of 159

Students practising comparison phrases in Spanish: saying 'better than', 'as... as', and 'different from'.

Goal: Compare things, say what's better, and ask about differences (B1)

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

Welcome to Lesson 42 — Comparisons! This lesson is quick and focused: listen, repeat, and practice comparing things in Spanish. Try the mini-dialogue first, then check your answers and speak the phrases aloud.

Level B1: In this lesson you'll practice natural comparison phrases in Spanish: saying which thing is better, asking which is better, noting similarities and differences, and talking about degree (more, less, as...). The lesson is CEFR-aligned and full of handy frames you can reuse in everyday conversations.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use common comparative frames to say one thing is better, more, less, or equal.
  • Ask and answer questions about differences and similarities between two things.
  • Practice speaking 13 practical comparison phrases aloud (B1 level).
A friendly teacher introducing B1 comparison phrases in Spanish for everyday choices.

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.

___ es mejor que ___.

___ is better than ___.

Meaning: ___ is better than ___.

When to use: Use this frame to state that one option is preferable to another.

Tip: Don't forget to use 'que' (not 'de') after 'mejor' when comparing.

El té es mejor que el café.
Tea is better than coffee.
Ir en tren es mejor que conducir cuando hay mucho tráfico.
Taking the train is better than driving when there's heavy traffic.

¿Qué es mejor, ___ o ___?

Which is better, ___ or ___?

Meaning: Which is better, ___ or ___?

When to use: Ask this to request someone’s opinion comparing two clear options.

¿Qué es mejor, la playa o la montaña?
Which is better, the beach or the mountains?
¿Qué es mejor, trabajar desde casa o en la oficina?
Which is better, working from home or at the office?

___ se parece a ___.

___ is similar to ___.

Meaning: ___ is similar to ___.

When to use: Say this when two things share important characteristics.

Este smartphone se parece a mi modelo anterior.
This smartphone is similar to my previous model.
La comida aquí se parece a la de mi país.
The food here is similar to that from my country.

___ es diferente de ___.

___ is different from ___.

Meaning: ___ is different from ___.

When to use: Use this to point out clear differences between two things.

Tip: Some learners say 'diferente a' or 'de' interchangeably; both are used, but 'de' is widely understood.

Este libro es diferente del otro.
This book is different from the other one.
El clima aquí es diferente de lo que esperaba.
The weather here is different from what I expected.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre ___ y ___?

What's the difference between ___ and ___?

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

When to use: Ask this when you want someone to explain distinctions.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el té verde y el té negro?
What's the difference between green tea and black tea?
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre este modelo y el otro modelo?
What's the difference between this model and the other model?

___ es más ___ que ___.

___ is more ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ is more ___ than ___.

When to use: Compare degree or quality using 'más' plus an adjective.

Mi coche es más rápido que el tuyo.
My car is faster than yours.
Este restaurante es más caro que el otro.
This restaurant is more expensive than the other one.

___ es menos ___ que ___.

___ is less ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ is less ___ than ___.

When to use: Indicate a lower degree with 'menos' plus an adjective.

Este libro es menos interesante que el anterior.
This book is less interesting than the previous one.
Hoy hace menos frío que ayer.
Today it's less cold than yesterday.

___ es tan ___ como ___.

___ is as ___ as ___.

Meaning: ___ is as ___ as ___.

When to use: Use 'tan...como' to say two things have the same degree of a quality.

Mi hermano es tan alto como yo.
My brother is as tall as I am.
Esta sopa es tan buena como la de mi abuela.
This soup is as good as my grandmother's.

Son casi iguales.

They're about the same.

Meaning: They're about the same.

When to use: Say this when two items have no important difference.

Los dos teléfonos son casi iguales.
The two phones are almost the same.
En precio, estas chaquetas son casi iguales.
Price-wise, these jackets are about the same.

¿Cómo se compara ___ con ___?

How does ___ compare with ___?

Meaning: How does ___ compare with ___?

When to use: Ask for a general comparison between two items or ideas.

¿Cómo se compara esta universidad con la otra?
How does this university compare with the other one?
¿Cómo se compara el sistema público con el privado?
How does the public system compare with the private one?

En comparación con ___, ___ es ___.

Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

Meaning: Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

When to use: Introduce a comparison where you use one reference point to describe another.

En comparación con enero, febrero es más cálido.
Compared with January, February is warmer.
En comparación con el año pasado, las ventas son mejores.
Compared with last year, sales are better.

___ tiene más ___ que ___.

___ has more ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ has more ___ than ___.

When to use: Compare quantities or countable features between two subjects.

España tiene más playas que Suiza.
Spain has more beaches than Switzerland.
Mi barrio tiene más tiendas pequeñas que antes.
My neighborhood has more small shops than before.

___ tiene menos ___ que ___.

___ has fewer ___ than ___.

Meaning: ___ has fewer ___ than ___.

When to use: Use this to say one thing has a smaller count or amount than another.

Esta ciudad tiene menos parques que la otra.
This city has fewer parks than the other one.
Mi móvil tiene menos apps instaladas que el tuyo.
My phone has fewer apps installed than yours.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David compare devices and travel choices.

Two people comparing devices and food using Spanish comparison frames.

What are Anna and David comparing?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Qué es mejor, el portátil o la tableta?

Which is better, the laptop or the tablet?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Depende. El portátil es mejor que la tableta para trabajar.

Depends. The laptop is better than the tablet for work.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

La pantalla de la tableta se parece a la del portátil, pero el portátil tiene más puertos.

The tablet's screen is similar to the laptop's, but the laptop has more ports.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Son casi iguales en peso, pero el portátil tiene menos batería.

They're about the same in weight, but the laptop has less battery life.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means: 'Compared with Madrid, Barcelona is smaller'?

Which sentence asks 'What's the difference between green tea and black tea?'

Choose the Spanish sentence that means: 'They are almost the same.'

Which option correctly translates: 'My city has fewer parks than the other'?

The question form '¿Qué es mejor, ... o ...?' asks 'Which is better...?' so the first choice is correct.

What's better for commuting, a bike or a car? Choose the best Spanish question: ___

'En comparación con...' is the frame for 'Compared with...', so the first option matches the stem.

Fill in: 'Compared with last year, sales ___.' Choose the Spanish phrase that completes it: ___

To say 'has less battery', use 'tiene menos batería que'. The first choice is correct.

Complete the sentence: 'My phone ___ your phone in battery life.' Choose the correct Spanish comparison: ___

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:

___ es mejor que ___.

___ is better than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Qué es mejor, ___ o ___?

Which is better, ___ or ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ se parece a ___.

___ is similar to ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ es diferente de ___.

___ is different from ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre ___ y ___?

What's the difference between ___ and ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ es más ___ que ___.

___ is more ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ es menos ___ que ___.

___ is less ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ es tan ___ como ___.

___ is as ___ as ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Son casi iguales.

They're about the same.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Cómo se compara ___ con ___?

How does ___ compare with ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

En comparación con ___, ___ es ___.

Compared with ___, ___ is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ tiene más ___ que ___.

___ has more ___ than ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ tiene menos ___ que ___.

___ has fewer ___ than ___.