ENG-ITA

Comparative in italian

To understand how to use the comparatives in italian we need to fully understand whether to use "più/meno di" or "più/meno che".
Let's elaborate on this further:






We use "più/meno di" when an adjective or an action refers to two nouns or pronouns.

examples:

• The car is faster than the bicycle -> La macchina è più veloce della (di+la) bicicletta.
• I drink less than my father -> Io bevo meno di mio padre.
• I know the math better than John -> Conosco la matematica meglio di John.

As you have seen we've always compared the adjectives to something/somebody.
That immediately triggers the usage of "di".

We use "più/meno che" when both the compared adjectives refer to a noun.

examples:

• This car is more beautiful than useful -> Questa macchina è più bella che utile.
• Questo cane è più calmo che aggressivo. -> This dog is quieter than dynamic.
• L'uccello è più propenso a camminare che a volare. -> The bird is more likely to walk than to fly.

In addition we use still "che" when the noun or pronoun has a preposition in front.

• In Canada the beer is cheaper than is US. -> In Canada la birra è più conveniente che negli Stati Uniti.

Bottom line, Use "di" whenever you want to compare an adjective to a noun but if you want to compare two adjectives referring to a noun/pronoun than use "che". This is definitely going to improve your spoken and written italian and it is a clear step forward to your italianization. :-)