Comparative Subordinate Conjunctions and Comparative Subordinate Clauses

Comparative conjunctions are used to introduce the second element of a comparison within the same clause:

Giovanni parla meglio lo spagnolo che l'inglese. Giovanni speaks Spanish better than English.

or to introduce a comparative subordinate clause, that is, a clause that presents a sort of comparison with an idea or statement mentioned in the main clause.

Non è così bello come mi avevi detto. He isn’t as cute as you had told me.

Below is the basic set of comparative constructions we’ll be exploring over the course of this lesson:

così… come = as… as
più… che = more… than
meno… che = less… than
meglio …che = better… than
peggio… che = worse… than
tanto… quanto = as… as

Comparative clauses can express majority, minority or equality. Comparative clauses conveying the concept of majority and minority can be either implicit or explicit. When explicit, they are introduced by the conjunction che, or by the conjunction phrases di quanto, di quello che, di come, and bear a relationship with a word (or words) in the main clause. The verb in the subordinate clause can be expressed in the indicative, subjunctive or even in the conditional mood, depending on the context. Let’s see a few examples:

Il problema era più complesso di quello che Angela mi aveva voluto far credere. The problem was more complex than Angela had wanted me to believe. Il film che ha vinto il primo premio al festival è meno interessante di quanto pensassi. The film that won the festival’s top prize is less interesting that I thought. Il suo ultimo romanzo è molto più avvincente di come l’hai descritto tu. His last novel is much more engrossing than you have described it to be. Al ristorante abbiamo mangiato peggio di quanto mi sarei immaginato. At the restaurant we ate worse than we would have imagined. Anna è meno alta di come la ricordassi. Anna is less tall than I remembered her to be.

When implicit, the verb is in the infinitive and introduced by che, piuttosto che, or piuttosto di:

Questo è peggio che cercare un ago in un pagliaio! This is worse than looking for a needle in a haystack! Preferirei ballare piuttosto che cantare. I would rather dance than sing. Piuttosto di rimanere a casa a non fare nulla, faresti meglio ad accettare quel lavoro. You’d better take that job rather than stay at home doing nothing.

Subordinate clauses expressing equality can only be explicit and are introduced by come, quanto and quale, and also bear a relationship with a word in the main clause such as tanto, tale, etc. The verb in the dependent clause can be in the indicative or in the conditional:

Maria è tanto intelligente quanto è eccentrica. Maria is as intelligent as she is eccentric. Matteo è tale quale me lo ricordavo. Matteo is just like I remembered him. Lo spettacolo non era così emozionante come avremmo voluto. The show was not as exciting as we would have liked.

Hypothetical comparative clauses are subordinate clauses in which the comparison takes the form of a hypothesis. They can be implicit or explicit. When explicit, they are introduced by come se, quasi, quasi che and come. The verb in the dependent clause is expressed in the subjunctive mood.

Alzò la mano come se sapesse la risposta corretta. He raised his hand as if he knew the right answer. Fece un passo indietro, quasi fosse pentito. He took a step back, as if he was having second thoughts. Mi prese la mano, come avesse cambiato idea improvvisamente. She took my hand, as if she had suddenly changed her mind.