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Comparisons of Equality

Adjectives and Adverbs

To make comparisons of equality we use the formula:
tan + adjective + como
or
tan + adverb + como

When using an adjective you need to be sure it agrees with the first noun mentioned. For example:

Las niñas son tan juguetonas como los niños.
Girls are as playful as boys.

Los niños son tan juguetones como las niñas.
Boys are as playful as girls.

El pollo es tan sabroso como la carne.
Chicken is as tasty as meat.

La carne es tan sabrosa como el pollo.
Meat is as tasty as chicken.

Let's look at some other example sentences:

Es tan bueno como lo esperaba.
It is as good as I expected.

No es tan fácil como usted cree.
It is not as easy as you believe.

Tiene tanto dinero como puede desear.
He has as much money as he can wish.

Ya no soy tan tranquilo como era cuando tenía 10 años.
I am no longer as carefree as I was when I was 10 years old.

No creía que tenía tantas casas como usted.
I did not believe he had as many houses as you.

Mi hermano ya no es tan gordito como era cuando tenía 10 años.
My brother is no longer as chubby as he was when he was 10 years old.

Note!

Adverbs do not show agreement:

Las niñas aprenden tan rápido como los niños.
Girls learn as fast as boys.

La carne se prepara tan rápido como el pollo.
Meat is prepared as quickly as chicken (is).

Verbs

To make comparisons of equality using verbs we use the formula:

verb + tanto como

Expressions with verbs show no agreement:

Juan trabaja tanto como yo.
Juan Works as much as I do.

Mi hermanita nada tanto como un pez.
My little sister swims as much as a fish.

Ya no juego tanto como antes.
I no longer play as much as I used to.

Cuando yo era joven nadaba tanto como un pez.
When I was young I used to swim as much as a fish.

Cuanto . . . . . (tanto), followed by any comparatives, translate to English as:

Cuanto más gana, (tanto) más gasta.
The more he earns, the more he spends.

Cuanto más le pidan, (tanto) más les dará.
The more you ask of him, the more he will give you.

"Than" is ordinarily expressed by que.

Tengo más dinero que usted.
I have more money than you.

Él anda más aprisa que ella.
He walks faster than she.

Before numerals or numerical expressions, ' than ' is expressed by de in affirmative sentences and by either que or de in negative sentences.

Me dieron más de veinte pesos.
They gave me more than twenty dollars.

No tenía más que (or de) dos libros.
He didn't have more than two books.

When each member of the comparison has a different verb, or the second member of the comparison repeats the verb of the first, de is generally used for 'than ' in preference to que. Furthermore, if an adjective is the point of comparison, de is followed by the relative lo que ('that which'), and if a noun is the point of comparison, by the relatives el que, la que, los que, las que ('the one which,' 'those which ').

Es más bueno de lo que pensaban.
He is better than (that which) they thought.

Trajo menos de lo que prometió.
He brought less than he promised.

Tengo más dinero del que te presté.
I have more money than (that which) I loaned you.

Me compró menos libros de los que creí que me compraría.
He bought me less books than (those which) I thought he would buy me.

Nouns

To make comparisons of equality using nouns we use the formula:

tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + como

Tanto agrees with the noun in number and gender:

Ya no tengo tanta energía como antes.
I don't have as much energy as before.

Tienes tantos libros como una biblioteca.
You have as many books as a library (does).

Nosotros necesitamos tanta atención como ellos.
We need as much attention as they do.

Mi hermana no tiene tantas ganas de jugar como cuando tenía 10 años.
My sister isn't as willing to play as she was when she was 10 years old.

Yo no tengo tanto orgullo como tenía cuando era niño.
I don't have as much pride as I used to have when I was a kid.