Comparing Nouns vs. Adjectives: plus de vs. plus
பெயர்ச்சொல் vs பெயரடை ஒப்பீடு: plus de vs plus
Two structures look almost identical but do different jobs — plus de counts a noun, while plus alone intensifies an adjective or adverb. Mixing them up is one of the most common A2 slip-ups.
Grammar Comparison
இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு
plus de + noun = 'more [noun]' (quantity)
J'ai plus de temps. (I have more time.)
எனக்கு அதிக நேரம் இருக்கிறது.
When comparing an amount of something — a noun — use plus de (or moins de, autant de) directly before the noun, with no que required unless you're comparing it to something specific (plus de temps que toi, 'more time than you'). This is the same de that shows up in the partitive articles you learned earlier.
plus + adjective/adverb = 'more [quality]' (degree)
Il est plus intelligent. (He is more intelligent.)
அவன் அதிக புத்திசாலி.
When comparing a quality or manner — an adjective or adverb — use plus (or moins, aussi) directly before that word, with no de. Mixing the two up (plus de intelligent, or plus temps) is a very natural mistake since English 'more' covers both cases with one word; French requires you to first ask 'am I comparing a noun or a quality?'
Vocabulary
சொற்கள்
| French | Pronunciation | Tamil | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| plus de temps | plew duh tahn | அதிக நேரம்adhika nēram | more time |
| plus intelligent | plewz an-tay-lee-ZHAHN | அதிக புத்திசாலிadhika puththisāli | more intelligent |
| moins d'argent | mwahn dar-ZHAHN | குறைவான பணம்kuṟaivāṉa paṇam | less money |
| moins cher | mwahn shair | குறைவான விலைkuṟaivāṉa vilai | less expensive |
| autant de livres | oh-TAHN duh LEE-vruh | அத்தனை புத்தகங்கள்aththaṉai puththagaṅgaḷ | as many books |
| aussi facilement | oh-see fah-seel-MAHN | அத்தனை எளிதாகaththaṉai eḷidhāka | as easily |
| plus de gens | plew duh zhahn | அதிக மக்கள்adhika makkaḷ | more people |
| plus rapidement | plew rah-peed-MAHN | அதிக வேகமாகadhika vēgamāka | more quickly |