How to Say “Taller Than” in Spanish

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más alto que
/mas alto ke/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "taller than" is más alto que.
más alto que is used to compare the height of one person or object to another.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is built from más (more), alto (tall/high) and que (than).

How does it change in a sentence?

The adjective alto must agree in gender and number with the person or object being described. Use más alta que if the subject is feminine, más altos que if the subject is a group of males or a mixed-gender group and más altas que if the subject is a group of females.

How do you pronounce it?

/mas alto ke/

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid using más alto de. English speakers often mistakenly use de instead of que to mean "than" when making comparisons.

Did you know?

  • Spanish uses the word alto not only for height but also as a command to 'stop', which comes from the German word 'halt'.
  • Because alto describes height, it can also be used to describe a person's social status or an 'alto rango' (high rank), moving from physical space to social hierarchy.

Examples in context

  • Soy más alto que él.
    I'm taller than him.
    This sentence is useful for showing how to use más alto que to compare yourself to him.
    Tatoeba #635803 by Shishir, translation #843159 by parheliu
  • Eres más alto que yo.
    You're taller than me.
    This sentence is useful for showing how to use más alto que to compare someone else to you.
    Tatoeba #497561 by Shishir, translation #477195 by CM
  • Él es más alto que yo.
    He's taller than me.
    This sentence is useful for showing how to use más alto que to compare him to you.
    Tatoeba #1289751 by marcelostockle, translation #749281 by Serhiy
  • Juan es más alto que Pedro.
    Juan is taller than Pedro.
  • Laura es más alta que Ana y María.
    Laura is taller than Ana and María.
  • Pablo es más alto que Luis.
    Pablo is taller than Luis.
  • Sara es más alta que Ana por mucho.
    Sara is much taller than Ana.
  • Mario le lleva dos cabezas a José.
    Mario is two heads taller than José.
  • La Torre Eiffel es más alta que el Coliseo Romano
    The Eiffel Tower is taller than the Roman Colosseum
  • 66 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Elena and Mateo are comparing their heights in front of a mirror.

  1. Elena

    Mira, soy más alto que tú.
    Look, I am taller than you.
  2. Mateo

    No es cierto, Elena.
    That is not true, Elena.
  3. Elena

    ¡Sí! Mi hermano es más alto que tú también.
    Yes! My brother is taller than you too.
  4. Mateo

    Quizás él sea más alto que yo.
    Maybe he is taller than me.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries alto, más, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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Yvonne Melanie
Yvonne MelanieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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