In French it is easy to change younger or older into the youngest or the oldest. All you do is add le before moins or plus.
For example:
plus jeune (younger)
le plus jeune (the youngest)
This rule applies every time you use either plus or moins.
For example:
moins intéressant (less interesting)
le moins intéressant (the least interesting)
plus belle (prettier)
la plus belle (the prettiest)
Elena, who recently moved to France from Spain, is introducing us to her family. Click to listen to her introduction and read along as you listen. Be ready to answer some comprehension questions afterwards.
For example:
Bonjour! Je m’appelle Elena. J’ai treize ans. J’ai deux petit frères. Ils s’appellent Carlos et Miguel. Carlos a onze ans, et Miguel a huit ans. Miguel est plus jeune que Carlos. Miguel est plus sympathique que Carlos aussi. Carlos est plus vieux, mais il est plus ennuyeux. Je suis plus vieille que Carlos et Miguel, et je suis la plus intelligente! Bien sûr, (of course) mes frères sont moins intelligents que moi.
Ma mère est plus vieille que Carlos, Miguel, et moi. Elle est la plus belle de la famille. Toutefois (however), mon père est le plus vieux et le plus grand. Il a quarante-quatre ans.
Match each sentence below with from the person it describes. If you need to, reread Elena’s introduction one more time after reading all the sentences in the matching activity.
Now, see if you can answer these questions about Elena’s family. Write your answers in the blank spaces. When you are finished, click to check your work.
Qui est le plus jeune de la famille?
Qui est le plus vieux de la famille?
Quel frère est plus sympathique?
Quel frère est plus ennuyeux?
Qui est le moins petit?
Qui sont moins intelligents?
| Your Responses | Sample Answers |
|---|---|
| Miguel | |
| le père d’Elena/ Elena’s father | |
| Miguel | |
| Carlos | |
| le père d’Elena | |
| Carlos et Miguel | |
Did you figure out that le moins petit, the least small, is the same as the tallest or biggest? And did you remember that quel means which or what?
Question
How do you say Which brother is smarter in French?
Quel frère est plus intelligent?