In English, we usually can make an adjective stronger by adding "-er" to the end (such as in "happier," "stronger" and "faster") or by using it with the word "more" (as in "more considerate" and "more intense"). In Spanish, there is no direct equivalent of "-er"; adjectives are made more intense by preceding them with más.

Examples: María está más feliz. María is happier. El cielo de Chile es más azul. Chile's sky is bluer. Mis padres son más ricos. My parents are richer. Compro unos libros más caros. I am buying some more expensive books.

Examples: Mi coche es más grande que tu coche. My car is bigger than your car. Soy más alto que tú. I'm taller than you. La casa es más blanca que la nieve. The house is whiter than the snow.

Examples: María está menos feliz. María is less happy. El cielo de Chile es menos azul. Chile's sky is less blue. La casa es menos blanca que la nieve. The house is less white than the snow.

Examples: Corres más rápido que yo. You run faster than I. Silvia habla menos claramente que Ana. Silvia speaks less clearly than Ana.

Additionally, although más pequeño and más grande are often used for "smaller" and "bigger," respectively, menor and mayor are sometimes used. Mayor also is used to mean "older" when referring to people.

Note: Do not confuse comparisons of adjectives or adverbs with "more than" and "less than" in the following examples. Note than más de and menos de are used when referring to numbers.

Examples: Tengo más de 30 pesos. I have more than 30 pesos. Mi hijo tiene menos de 20 años. My son is less than 20 years old.