Superlatives
A2Grammar path · Lesson 40 of 86 · Stage A2 · Comparing and key words
You use superlatives to say someone or something ranks at the top or bottom of a group, like the tallest person in class or the worst day of your life. The core pattern is el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective + de: Lucía es la más alta de la clase. A few adjectives have their own forms: mejor, peor, mayor, menor. The ending -ísimo simply means very, with no comparison at all. Don't mix this up with comparatives: a comparative weighs two things with que, while a superlative adds the article el/la and names the group with de.
Practise this lesson · 10 sentences
Form
el/la/los/las + (sustantivo) + más + adjetivo + de + grupoel/la/los/las + (sustantivo) + menos + adjetivo + de + grupoel/la/los/las + mejor/peor/mayor/menor + (sustantivo) + de + grupoadjetivo sin vocal final + -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimasWhen to use it
Top or bottom of a group
Use the article + más/menos + adjective, then de to name the group. A noun, if present, goes between the article and más/menos.
Best, worst, oldest, youngest
Bueno, malo, and age words use their own forms mejor, peor, mayor, menor, with no más. Mejor and peor usually go before the noun.
Stressing a very high degree
The ending -ísimo means extremely, with no comparison. Drop the adjective's final vowel, add the ending, and match gender and number.
Superlatives and -ísimo
Signal words
Don't confuse it with
Frequently asked questions
Do superlatives take de or en?
Spanish uses de for the group: el más alto de la clase. Don't use en the way English uses in.
Is it el mejor or el más bueno?
Use el mejor for quality: la mejor pizza. Más bueno appears only in casual speech, usually about someone being kind.
How is -ísimo different from el más?
El más ranks something within a group, while -ísimo just means extremely, with no comparison: la sopa está riquísima.
Where does the noun go in a superlative?
The noun sits between the article and más: el restaurante más caro. Don't repeat the article before más.
When do I use mayor and menor?
Use mayor and menor for people's age: el mayor de los hermanos is the oldest sibling. For physical size, people usually say el más grande.