As

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Co-relator

Equivalence

as ADJ as = aussi ADJ que
as ADV as = aussi ADV que
as many Ns as = autant de Ns que
as few Ns as = aussi peu de Ns que
as much N as = autant de N que
as little N as = aussi peu de N que

The first correlator can be replaced with so, though this is very marked (and rare).

just as ADJ as. ("But elder brother was just as late (last night) as I was (tonight), and you hardly said a word to him.")

Rules

  • as is not followed immediately by comparatives (e.g. older, more involved, etc.) because "as" is used in comparisons of non- equivalence
    whereas comparatives are used in comparisons of superiority/inferiority with than.
  • as is not generally used with superlatives. The single exception is "best" (see expressions below).

Non-equivalence / proportion

not as funny as Mr Bean
half as wise as all that
half as many again (= 50% more)
half as much effort (see contexts: [1])
twice as many people
twice as much traffic
three times as many cars

Reason

As I was on call anyway, I decided to go in to work. --> Puisque/Comme j'étais d'astreinte de toutes façons, j'ai décidé d'aller bosser.

Marker of simultaneity

As I was parking, I realized I had forgotten my cellphone. En me garant, je me suis rendu compte que j'avais oublié mon portable.

Expressions

as far as I know -- pour autant que je sache, à ma connaissance
as far as I can tell -- d'après ce que je comprends
as best as I can tell -- d'après ce que je comprends ("as well as I can tell" would follow grammar rules better, but real word use and grammatical consistency are two different things. :D )
as you (wish / like) -- comme tu veux
as you see fit
as much as I would like to