Irregular Comparative and Superl

In English, we have irregulars too. We do not say "gooder." We say "better." Spanish does the exact same thing. Instead of adding más to every word, we swap it. The word changes its entire shape. It feels like a magic trick. You take a basic adjective like bueno. You transform it into mejor. No más is required. It is faster and more natural. Native speakers use these constantly. If you use them correctly, you sound fluent. If you use them wrong, people still understand. But you might get a polite smile. It is like wearing socks with sandals. It works, but it looks a bit funny.

1. 1There are four main pairs you must learn. They are the core of irregular comparisons.
2. 2For quality: bueno (good) becomes mejor (better). malo (bad) becomes peor (worse).
3. 3For age: viejo (old) becomes mayor (older). joven (young) becomes menor (younger).
4. 4For size (sometimes): grande (big) becomes mayor (greater/older). pequeño (small) becomes menor (lesser/younger).
5. 5To make them superlatives, just add the article. Use el, la, los, or las before the comparative word. For example, el mejor means "the best."

Use these when you want to be precise. Use mejor and peor for quality. Imagine you are at a restaurant. You try two different tacos. One is clearly superior. You say, "Este taco es mejor." Use mayor and menor for your siblings. If your brother was born before you, he is your hermano mayor. It does not mean he is physically bigger. It means he has been on Earth longer. Use these in job interviews too. You can talk about your mejor skill. It shows confidence and linguistic control. Use them when comparing movies or weather. "Este clima es peor que el de ayer."

Do not use these for physical size alone. If you see a big house, use más grande. If you see a small cat, use más pequeño. Mayor and menor usually imply importance or age. Do not use más with these irregular forms. Never say más mejor. That is a huge red flag. It is like saying "more better" in English. Your Spanish teacher might faint if they hear it. Also, do not use them for feelings like "happy" or "sad." Those stay regular. You are más feliz, not mejor feliz.

People love to say más mejor. It is the most common error. It feels natural because you want to emphasize. But mejor already includes the "more" part. Another mistake is using más grande for age. In English, we say "big brother." In Spanish, we say hermano mayor. If you say hermano grande, people think he is a giant. They might expect a professional wrestler to walk in. Watch out for gender and number. These words must match the noun. Mejor becomes mejores for plural things. El mejor libro but las mejores pizzas.

Regular comparisons use más + adjective + que. For example: más rápido que. Irregular comparisons skip the más. You just say mejor que. Notice the que stays the same. It is the bridge between the two things. Superlatives also look similar. Regular: el más rápido. Irregular: el mejor. The structure is actually simpler once you memorize the four words. Think of it like a grammar shortcut. You are taking the express lane instead of the local road.