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You know the subject pronouns in French, words like je, tu, il, and elle. These pronouns change when they are not the subject of the sentence, like when they are used in comparison sentences with que. The same thing happens in English. Look at the examples below.
For example:
Je suis plus sympa que ma soeur.
Ma soeur est moins sympa que moi.
I am nicer than my sister.
My sister is less nice than I.
In French, je becomes comes moi after que In English, I becomes me after than.
Not all subject pronouns change. In English, you does not change. And in French, elle does not change.
For example:
Elle est plus sportive que moi.
Je suis moins sportive qu’elle.
Look at the table below. Do you recognize the pronouns used in this lesson’s comparison phrases?
| French | English |
|---|---|
|
me |
|
|
you |
|
|
her |
|
|
him |
Below is a short essay written by Lily Potter, a British teenager studying French. For her class assignment, she’s comparing herself to her family members. Read the essay and listen closely to the audio.
For example:
Je m’appelle Lily. J’ai quinze ans. J’ai deux frères. Ils s’appellent James et Albus. Je suis plus active que mon frère James, mais il est plus athlètique que moi. Je suis moins sympathique que mon frère Albus. Toutefois, James est plus sympathique que lui. Albus est plus amusant.
Ma tante s’appelle Hermione. Elle est très intelligente. Ma tante est plus intelligente que mon oncle. Elle est plus intelligente que mon père aussi. Mais, elle n’est pas plus intelligente que moi! Je suis la plus intelligente de la famille.
Mon oncle s’appelle Ron. Ron est moins intelligent que ma tante, mais il est plus fort (stronger) qu’elle. Il est le plus fort de la famille.
What did you learn about Lily’s family? Can you answer match each family member with their description in the activity below.
Continue to answer questions about Lily’s family in this next activity. Click the button to hear the question.
Which one?
Lily is the smartest.
Lily is the smartest.
Lily is the smartest.
Albus is the more fun brother.
Albus is the more fun brother.
Albus is the more fun brother.
Her aunt is smarter than her uncle.
Her aunt is smarter than her uncle.
Her aunt is smarter than her uncle.
Lily is more active than her brother.
Lily is more active than her brother.
Lily is more active than her brother.
You got # out of # correct. Click the Retry button for another attempt.
You got a perfect score. Great job!
Felicitations! You’ve completed both activities about Lily’s family. At this point, you should be feeling more confident with plus and moins statements in French.
Question
How do you say I am smarter than she in French.
Je suis plus intelligent qu’elle.
