Comparing things · CEFR A2 · Everyday
as … as — English comparatives and superlatives
Two things the same. The negative — not as … as — is the gentle way of saying one is less, and is very common in speech.
The shape
as + adjective + as · not as + adjective + as
Say two things are equal, or that one falls short.
In Hindi
दो चीज़ें बराबर। नकार में — not as … as — कम कहने का नरम तरीक़ा है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
She is as tall than her sister. | She is as tall as her sister. The pair is "as … as" — "than" belongs to comparatives. |
as … as examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
We are the same age.
हम एक ही उम्र के हैं।
Our phones are the same.
हमारे फोन एक जैसे हैं।
Our work is the same.
हमारा काम एक जैसा है।
This is like my phone.
यह मेरे फोन जैसा है।
It is the same as before.
यह पहले जैसा है।
Both bags are the same colour.
दोनों बैग एक ही रंग के हैं।
also correct: Both bags are the same color.
Our shoes are the same colour.
हमारे जूते एक ही रंग के हैं।
Both rooms are almost the same.
दोनों कमरे लगभग एक जैसे हैं।
It is not the same as before.
यह पहले जैसा नहीं है।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the as … as used for?
- Two things the same. The negative — not as … as — is the gentle way of saying one is less, and is very common in speech. In practice: say two things are equal, or that one falls short.
- How do you form the as … as?
- as + adjective + as · not as + adjective + as.
- What is the most common mistake with the as … as?
- Saying “She is as tall than her sister.” instead of “She is as tall as her sister.”. The pair is "as … as" — "than" belongs to comparatives.
Where as … as fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
as … as is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to comparing things. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the as … as →