HOW TO USE "NI...NI..."

This is simply a matter of vocabulary.  Use this phrase where we would use
"neither...nor..."

ex:  	Ni mi madre ni mi padre tienen un diploma.  (Neither my mother nor my father has a diploma.)
ex:	Ni tú ni yo sabemos la verdad.  (Neither you nor I know the truth.)
ex:	Ni esto ni lo otro va a servir.  (Neither this one nor the other one will be useful.)

TIME EXPRESSIONS IN THE PAST

Memorizing these phrases will help you keep track of when to use
the IMPERFECT and when to use the PRETERITE:

Use the IMPERFECT when using:

a menudo 			(frequently, often)
con frecuencia		(frequently, often)
a veces				(at times)
algunas veces		(sometimes)
de vez en cuando	(from time to time)
muchas veces		(many times)
siempre				(always)
todos los días		(every day)
todos los meses	(every month)
todos los años		(every year)

Use the PRETERITE when using:

anoche				(last night)
la semana pasada	(last week)
anteayer				(the day before yesterday)

and so on...



IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLES

The easiest way to deal with these is to simply memorize them too:

Remember, past participles are like the "ed" form of our verbs (walk >> walked,  talk >> talked, etc.)

abrir 		>> 	abierto (opened)
cubrir 		>>		cubierto (covered)
decir			>>		dicho (said, told)
escribir		>>		escrito (written)
hacer			>>		hecho (made, done)
morir			>>		muerto (dead)
poner			>>		puesto (put, placed)
romper		>>		roto (broken, ripped)
ver			>>		visto (seen)
volver		>>		vuelto (returned)

WHAT ARE COMPARISONS OF INEQUALITY?

That simply means using phrases like "more than", "less than", and so on...



Not only is it possible to describe someone as happy, it is also possible to describe that happiness is various degrees — happier, happier than someone, happiest, as happy as someone. In this lesson, we learn how to express the first two of those alternatives.
In English, we usually can make an adjective stronger by adding "-er" to the end (such as in "happier," "stronger" and "faster") or by using it with the word "more" (as in "more considerate" and "more intense"). In Spanish, there is no direct equivalent of "-er"; adjectives are made more intense by preceding them with más.

Examples: María está más feliz. María is happier. El cielo de Chile es más azul. Chile's sky is bluer. Mis padres son más ricos. My parents are richer. Compro unos libros más caros. I am buying some more expensive books.

Usually, the word que is used when making a comparison. 
Examples: Mi coche es más grande que tu coche. My car is bigger than your car. Soy más alto que tú. I'm taller than you. La casa es más blanca que la nieve. The house is whiter than the snow.

To indicate "less" rather than "more," use menos.
Examples: María está menos feliz. María is less happy. El cielo de Chile es menos azul. Chile's sky is less blue. La casa es menos blanca que la nieve. The house is less white than the snow.

Más and menos can be used with adverbs in the same way.
Examples: Corres más rápido que yo. You run faster than I.  Silvia habla menos claramente que Ana. Silvia speaks less clearly than Ana.

Exceptions: There are a few exceptions to the above rules. 


	

		
Adjective/adverb
		
Comparative form
		
Example

	

		
bueno, buena (good)
		
mejor (better)
		
Eres mejor hombre que yo. You are a better man than I.

	

		
bien (well)
		
mejor (better)
		
Ella estudia mejor que tú. She studies better than you.

	

		
malo, mala, mal (bad)
		
peor (worse)
		
Mi bicicleta es peor. My bicycle is worse.

	

		
mal (badly)
		
peor (worse)
		
Se siente peor que yo. He feels worse than I.



Additionally, although más pequeño and más grande are often used for "smaller" and "bigger," respectively, menor and mayor are sometimes used. Mayor also is used to mean "older" when referring to people.

Note: Do not confuse comparisons of adjectives or adverbs with "more than" and "less than" in the following examples. Note than más de and menos de are used when referring to numbers.
Examples: Tengo más de 30 pesos. I have more than 30 pesos. Mi hijo tiene menos de 20 años. My son is less than 20 years sold. 

(courtesy: spanish.about.com)

AND WHAT ABOUT SUPERLATIVES?

Superlatives



There are two types of superlative: relative and absolute.



Relative: John is the smartest boy in the class.



Absolute: John is very smart.





The relative superlative describes a noun within the context of some larger group.



John is the smartest boy in the class.


Mary is the youngest person in the room.



Of the three, Moe is the meanest.





The absolute superlative does not describe the noun in the context of a larger group.



John is very smart.


The book is extremely expensive.



The food is indescribably tasty.





In English, the relative superlative is formed by using the word "most" or the ending "-est."



John is the most intelligent boy in the class.

Mary is the smartest girl in the class.





In Spanish, the relative superlative construction is similar to the comparative.



definite article + noun + más (menos) + adjective + de





Here are some superlative examples.




Juan es el chico más inteligente de la clase.

John is the smartest boy in the class.



Bill Gates es el hombre más rico de los EEUU.


Bill Gates is the richest man in the U.S.





Just like in English, the noun can be omitted. All of the following are correct.



María es la chica más delgada de la clase.

Mary is the thinnest girl in the class.




María es la más delgada de la clase.

Mary is the thinnest in the class.





The absolute superlative for adjectives has three possible forms.



muy + adjective

sumamente + adjective


adjective + ísimo (-a, -os, -as)





The following translations are somewhat arbitrary. Each superlative statement is a little stronger than the one that precedes it.



muy guapo

very handsome



sumamente guapo


extremely handsome



guapísimo

indescribably handsome