Why is the preposition 'a' is used with this comparison?

Amy W.B1Kwiziq community member

Why is the preposition 'a' is used with this comparison?

I noticed these two sentences used the preposition 'a' instead of 'que' in these sentences. Is there a reason why? 

Las ventas fueron superiores a los costes.

The sales were higher than the expenses.

Los costes fueron inferiores a las ventas.

The expenses were lower than the sales.

Asked 6 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola Amy

With adjectives "inferior" and "superior" used in a comparative sentence we use preposition "a", not "que". 

However, with adjectives "menor" and "mayor", despite meaning pretty much the same as the previous ones,  we need to use "que", not "a".

I hope this helps.

Inma

Amy W.B1Kwiziq community member
Thanks! I just wanted to know the specific times it is used, as it wasn't mentioned in the lesson :)
Amy W. asked:

Why is the preposition 'a' is used with this comparison?

I noticed these two sentences used the preposition 'a' instead of 'que' in these sentences. Is there a reason why? 

Las ventas fueron superiores a los costes.

The sales were higher than the expenses.

Los costes fueron inferiores a las ventas.

The expenses were lower than the sales.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your Spanish level for FREE

Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard

Find your Spanish level
Thinking...