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AdvancedEquatives
How Spanish, English and Chinese express equality or similarity between entities.
Compare languages
Equatives express that two entities are equal in some quality. Spanish uses tan...como and igual de. English uses as...as. Chinese uses 和...一样.
Overview
Equatives express that two entities are equal in some quality.
- Spanish: Uses tan…como for adjectives/adverbs, tanto…como for nouns/verbs, igual de…que as an alternative.
- English: Uses as…as for all categories. The same as for identity. Twice/three times as…as for multiples.
- Chinese: Uses 和/跟…一样 for equality, 不如 for negative equality. Multiples use 倍.
Spanish
Tan…como (adjectives/adverbs)
- Juan es tan alto como María. (John is as tall as Mary.)
- Corre tan rápido como yo. (He runs as fast as me.)
- No es tan difícil como parece. (It’s not as difficult as it seems.)
Tanto…como (nouns/verbs)
- Tiene tanto dinero como yo. (He has as much money as me.)
- Lee tanto como ella. (He reads as much as she does.)
- No tengo tantos libros como tú. (I don’t have as many books as you.)
Note: Tanto agrees in gender and number:
- tanto (masc sing) / tanta (fem sing) / tantos (masc pl) / tantas (fem pl)
Igual de…que / igual que
- Es igual de alto que María. (He’s as tall as Mary.)
- Corre igual de rápido que yo. (He runs as fast as me.)
- Es igual que su padre. (He’s the same as his father.)
Negative
- No es tan alto como María. (He’s not as tall as Mary.)
- No tiene tanto dinero como yo. (He doesn’t have as much money as me.)
Multiples
- Es dos veces más alto que María. (He’s twice as tall as Mary.)
- Es el doble de alto. (He’s twice as tall.)
- Tiene el triple de dinero. (He has three times as much money.)
English
As…as
- John is as tall as Mary.
- He runs as fast as I do.
- It’s not as difficult as it seems.
Note: Use subject pronoun + auxiliary in formal English:
- as fast as I do / as fast as me (informal)
The same as
- This is the same as that.
- He looks the same as his brother.
Just as…as
- It’s just as important as the other one.
- She’s just as smart as her sister.
Not so…as / not as…as
- He’s not as tall as Mary.
- He’s not so tall as Mary. (more formal/archaic)
Almost / nearly as…as
- He’s almost as tall as Mary.
- It’s nearly as difficult as the other one.
Half / twice / three times as…as
- He’s half as tall as his father.
- He’s twice as tall as his brother.
- It’s three times as expensive.
As + noun + as
- I have as much money as you.
- She has as many books as I do.
- I drank as little water as possible.
Chinese
和…一样
- 约翰和玛丽一样高。(John and Mary same tall = John is as tall as Mary.)
- 他和我一样大。(He and I same big = He’s as old as me.)
跟…一样
- 这个跟那个一样。(This and that same = This is the same as that.)
和…一样 + verb
- 他跑得和我一样快。(He runs as fast as me.)
不如 (negative equative)
- 约翰不如玛丽高。(John not-as Mary tall = John is not as tall as Mary.)
- 我不如他聪明。(I’m not as smart as him.)
Note: 不如 implies the second term is superior.
没有…那么
- 约翰没有玛丽那么高。(John is not as tall as Mary.)
和…相同
- 这个和那个相同。(This and that identical.)
Multiples
- 两倍那么高 (twice as tall)
- 三倍那么多 (three times as much)
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective equative | tan…como | as…as | 和…一样 |
| Noun equative | tanto…como | as much/many…as | 和…一样多 |
| Negative | no tan…como | not as…as | 不如 / 没有那么 |
| Identity | igual que | the same as | 和…相同 |
| Multiples | veces más / doble de | twice/three times as…as | 两倍/三倍那么 |
| Emphatic | igual de…que | just as…as | 同样 |
Examples
In Context
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Juan es tan alto como María. | John is as tall as Mary. | 约翰和玛丽一样高。 |
| Juan no es tan alto como María. | John is not as tall as Mary. | 约翰不如玛丽高。 |
| Él corre tan rápido como yo. | He runs as fast as I do. | 他跑得和我一样快。 |
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Juan es alto como María → Juan es tan alto como María
-
Spanish speakers learning English: John is so tall as Mary → John is as tall as Mary
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 约翰一样高玛丽 → 约翰和玛丽一样高
-
Chinese speakers learning English: John as tall as Mary → John is as tall as Mary (copula required)
Related topics
- Comparisons: How comparative forms work
- Superlatives: How superlative forms work
- Adjectives: How adjectives function
- Quantifiers: How quantity is expressed
Examples
John is as tall as Mary
Juan es tan alto como María (tan...como)
John is not as tall as Mary
Juan no es tan alto como María
John runs as fast as Mary
Juan corre tan rápido como María / igual de rápido que María
Twice as tall
dos veces más alto / el doble de alto
The same as
el mismo que / igual a
Just as important
igual de importante / tan importante como
Not so...as (negative)
no tan...como
Mary is as smart as she is kind
María es tan inteligente como amable
Examples
John is as tall as Mary
John is as tall as Mary (as...as)
John is not as tall as Mary
John is not as tall as Mary
John runs as fast as Mary
John runs as fast as Mary
Twice as tall
twice as tall
The same as
the same as
Just as important
just as important
Not so...as (negative)
not so...as / not as...as
Mary is as smart as she is kind
Mary is as smart as she is kind
Examples
John is as tall as Mary
约翰和玛丽一样高 (和...一样)
John is not as tall as Mary
约翰不如玛丽高 (不如 = not as)
John runs as fast as Mary
约翰跑得和玛丽一样快 (和...一样)
Twice as tall
两倍那么高 (两倍)
The same as
和...一样 / 跟...相同
Just as important
同样重要
Not so...as (negative)
不如... / 没有...那么
Mary is as smart as she is kind
玛丽既聪明又善良 (既...又...)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is as tall as Mary | Juan es tan alto como María (tan...como) | John is as tall as Mary (as...as) | 约翰和玛丽一样高 (和...一样) |
| John is not as tall as Mary | Juan no es tan alto como María | John is not as tall as Mary | 约翰不如玛丽高 (不如 = not as) |
| John runs as fast as Mary | Juan corre tan rápido como María / igual de rápido que María | John runs as fast as Mary | 约翰跑得和玛丽一样快 (和...一样) |
| Twice as tall | dos veces más alto / el doble de alto | twice as tall | 两倍那么高 (两倍) |
| The same as | el mismo que / igual a | the same as | 和...一样 / 跟...相同 |
| Just as important | igual de importante / tan importante como | just as important | 同样重要 |
| Not so...as (negative) | no tan...como | not so...as / not as...as | 不如... / 没有...那么 |
| Mary is as smart as she is kind | María es tan inteligente como amable | Mary is as smart as she is kind | 玛丽既聪明又善良 (既...又...) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is as tall as Mary | Juan es tan alto como María (tan...como) | John is as tall as Mary (as...as) | 约翰和玛丽一样高 (和...一样) |
| John is not as tall as Mary | Juan no es tan alto como María | John is not as tall as Mary | 约翰不如玛丽高 (不如 = not as) |
| John runs as fast as Mary | Juan corre tan rápido como María / igual de rápido que María | John runs as fast as Mary | 约翰跑得和玛丽一样快 (和...一样) |
| Twice as tall | dos veces más alto / el doble de alto | twice as tall | 两倍那么高 (两倍) |
| The same as | el mismo que / igual a | the same as | 和...一样 / 跟...相同 |
| Just as important | igual de importante / tan importante como | just as important | 同样重要 |
| Not so...as (negative) | no tan...como | not so...as / not as...as | 不如... / 没有...那么 |
| Mary is as smart as she is kind | María es tan inteligente como amable | Mary is as smart as she is kind | 玛丽既聪明又善良 (既...又...) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
John is as tall as Mary
Spanish
Juan es tan alto como María (tan...como)
English
John is as tall as Mary (as...as)
Chinese
约翰和玛丽一样高 (和...一样)
John is not as tall as Mary
Spanish
Juan no es tan alto como María
English
John is not as tall as Mary
Chinese
约翰不如玛丽高 (不如 = not as)
John runs as fast as Mary
Spanish
Juan corre tan rápido como María / igual de rápido que María
English
John runs as fast as Mary
Chinese
约翰跑得和玛丽一样快 (和...一样)
Twice as tall
Spanish
dos veces más alto / el doble de alto
English
twice as tall
Chinese
两倍那么高 (两倍)
The same as
Spanish
el mismo que / igual a
English
the same as
Chinese
和...一样 / 跟...相同
Just as important
Spanish
igual de importante / tan importante como
English
just as important
Chinese
同样重要
Not so...as (negative)
Spanish
no tan...como
English
not so...as / not as...as
Chinese
不如... / 没有...那么
Mary is as smart as she is kind
Spanish
María es tan inteligente como amable
English
Mary is as smart as she is kind
Chinese
玛丽既聪明又善良 (既...又...)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses tan...como for adjectives/adverbs, tanto...como for nouns/verbs, igual de...que as an alternative.
English: Uses as...as for all categories. The same as for identity. Twice/three times as...as for multiples.
Chinese: Uses 和/跟...一样 for equality, 不如 for negative equality. Multiples use 倍.
Key concepts compared: John is as tall as Mary, John is not as tall as Mary, John runs as fast as Mary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Spanish distinguish tan...como from tanto...como while English uses as...as for everything?
How does Chinese express negative equatives differently from English and Spanish?
What is the 'same as' construction, and why does it trip up Spanish speakers in English?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
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Last updated: June 4, 2026