mejor que
/mexoɾ ke/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for 'better than' is mejor que.
mejor que is used to indicate that one person or thing is of a higher quality or standard than another.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression mejor que is often used to convey 'better than.'
How does it change in a sentence?
The word mejor is the comparative form of bueno (good). When making comparisons of quality, use mejor que instead of más bueno que, which is generally considered incorrect or non-standard in most Spanish-speaking regions.
How do you pronounce it?
/mexoɾ ke/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying más mejor que. Because mejor already implies 'more good,' adding más is redundant and grammatically incorrect.
Did you know?
- The word mejor shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ameliorate'. Both words trace back to an ancient root meaning 'strong' or 'big'.
- In Spanish, the word mejor can be used as a standalone suggestion at the start of a sentence to mean 'rather' or 'it would be better', even when no direct comparison is being made.
- If a Spanish speaker says estoy mejor, they are not comparing themselves to someone else, but are reporting that their own health or mood has improved.
Examples in context
- Soy mejor que tú.I am better than you.This sentence shows how to use mejor que to compare yourself to another person.Tatoeba #1137966 by Shishir, translation #1137965 by CM
- Soy mejor que él.I'm better than him.This sentence shows how to use mejor que to compare yourself to a male.Tatoeba #3805272 by cueyayotl, translation #929117 by CM
- Es mejor que nada.Better than nothing.This sentence uses mejor que in the common idiom 'better than nothing'.Tatoeba #582012 by Shishir, translation #432002 by tanzoniteblack
- El rendimiento de este coche es superior al de los demás.The performance of this car is better than the others.
- Su trabajo es superior al del resto del equipo.Her work is better than the rest of the team's.
- El equipo de fútbol de Barcelona es mejor que el de Madrid.The Barcelona soccer team is better than Madrid's.
- María es mejor que Ana en matemáticas.Maria is better than Ana in mathematics.
- El coche de mi padre es mejor que el tuyo.My father's car is better than yours.
- Esta serie es mejor que la anterior.This series is better than the previous one.
- El clima está chido hoy, mejor que ayer.The weather is cool today, better than yesterday.
- Su equipo de fútbol es mejor que el mío.Their soccer team is better than mine.
- 222 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing two different movies at a café.
- JavierEsta película es mejor que la de ayer.This movie is better than yesterday's.
- Sofía¿De verdad crees que es mejor que la anterior?Do you really think it is better than the previous one?
- JavierSí, la historia es mucho mejor que la otra.Yes, the story is much better than the other one.
- SofíaTienes razón, el guion es superior.You are right, the script is superior.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mejor, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
