Why mieux and not meilleur?

SebastianA1Kwiziq community member

Why mieux and not meilleur?

So I was reading one of these examples and I noticed that mieux was used instead of meilleur. I think meilleur would fit better as it compares two nouns (ta voiture and la mienne). Can anyone please clarify? The phrase is as follows:

J'aime bien ta voiture, elle est mieux que la mienne.


Asked 2 years ago
JimC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Hi Sebastian,

I see it as mieux being used as an adverb to modify the verb est (être) as "a state of being" better than ......

Jim

CélineKwiziq team member

Bonjour Sebastien,

Jim's answer is correct! Also, 'bien' is used in the previous statement ("J'aime bien ta voiture") so when doing a comparison you will use 'mieux' - see link here: When to use bien (adverb) and therefore mieux

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

DebC1Kwiziq community member

I think Sebastian is right. It says plainly that it's the car that's better (therefore adjective): "Elle est meilleur". You could say "Je l'aime mieux" but that's not how it's expressed here.

MaartenC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

The attached also covers the distinction. It might help things gel further - if not, do a search for other explanations - it often helps in understanding

https://frenchtogether.com/bien-bon/

Why mieux and not meilleur?

So I was reading one of these examples and I noticed that mieux was used instead of meilleur. I think meilleur would fit better as it compares two nouns (ta voiture and la mienne). Can anyone please clarify? The phrase is as follows:

J'aime bien ta voiture, elle est mieux que la mienne.


Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Thinking...