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Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in German
You use comparative and superlative adjectives when you compare people or things. In German, there are three forms:
the positive form, the comparative, and the superlative.
groß - big
positive form
größer - bigger
comparative
am größten - the biggest
superlative
What are comparative and superlative adjectives in German?
You can use adjectives to compare people or things. Every adjective has three forms:
the positive form / basic form (groß),
the comparative (größer),
and the superlative (am größten).
The comparative compares two people or things and tells the difference.
Die Dampflokomotive ist schnell, aber der ICE ist schneller.
The steam engine is fast, but the ICE train is faster.
The superlative describes the highest degree. You use it when you compare three or more people or things, or one person or thing with a whole group.
Das Flugzeug ist am schnellsten - The airplane is the fastest .
Positive Form, Comparative and Superlative: The Three Degrees of Comparison
In German, there are three degrees of comparison:
1. Positive form
This is the basic form of the adjective.
Examples: schön, schnell, groß
2. Comparative
You use the comparative to compare two people or things.
Examples: schöner, schneller, größer
more beautiful, faster, bigger
3. Superlative
You use the superlative to describe the highest degree.
Examples: am schönsten, am schnellsten, am größten
the most beautiful, the fastest, the biggest
More Examples:
schön – schöner – am schönsten
beautiful – more beautiful – the most beautiful
die schöne Stadt – die schönere Stadt – die schönste Stadt
the beautiful city – the more beautiful city – the most beautiful city
nett – netter – am nettesten
nice – nicer – the nicest
der nette Nachbar – der nettere Nachbar – der netteste Nachbar
the nice neighbor – the nicer neighbor – the nicest neighbor
klein – kleiner – am kleinsten
small – smaller – the smallest
das kleine Kind – das kleinere Kind – das kleinste Kind
the small child – the smaller child – the smallest child
schwer – schwerer – am schwersten
difficult/heavy – more difficult/heavier – the most difficult/the heaviest
die schwere Aufgabe – die schwerere Aufgabe – die schwerste Aufgabe
the difficult task – the more difficult task – the most difficult task
leicht – leichter – am leichtesten
easy/light – easier/lighter – the easiest/the lightest
die leichte Übung – die leichtere Übung – die leichteste Übung
the easy exercise – the easier exercise – the easiest exercise
groß – größer – am größten
big – bigger – the biggest
das große Problem – das größere Problem – das größte Problem
the big problem – the bigger problem – the biggest problem
How do I form the comparative in German?
You usually form the comparative with the ending -er .
Examples:
-
schnell – schneller
fast – faster -
schön – schöner
beautiful – more beautiful -
klein – kleiner
small – smaller -
schwer – schwerer
difficult/heavy – more difficult/heavier
When the comparative comes before a noun, it also needs an adjective ending.
Das Auto ist schneller. - das schnellere Auto steht rechts.
The car is faster. - The faster car is on the right.
Remember:
Comparative + als
Das Flugzeug ist schneller als das Auto.
The airplane is faster than the car.
When Does the e Disappear in the Comparative?
Some adjectives lose an e in the comparative.
1. Adjectives ending in -er
If there is a vowel before -er, the e often disappears in the comparative:
-
teuer - teurer - am teuersten (expensive – more expensive – the most expensive)
-
sauer - saurer- am sauersten (sour/angry – more sour/angrier – the most sour/the angriest)
If there is no vowel before the -er, the e usually stays:
-
sauber - sauberer - am sauersten (clean – cleaner – the cleanest)
-
lecker - leckerer - am leckersten (delicious – more delicious – the most delicious)
2. Adjectives ending in -el
With adjectives ending in -el, the e usually disappears in the comparative:
-
dunkel - dunkler - am dunkelsten (dark – darker – the darkest)
-
edel - edler - am edelsten (noble/refined – more noble/refined – the most noble/refined)
How Do You Form the Superlative in German?
You usually form the superlative with -sten or -esten.
There are two important forms:
1. "am" + adjective + -sten / -esten
You use this form when there is no noun directly after the superlative
Examples:
-
Alle laufen schnell. Aber Anna läuft am schnellsten.
Everyone is running fast. But Anna is running the fastest. -
Wir jubeln laut. Max jubelt am lautesten.
We are cheering loudly. Max is cheering the loudest.
2. der, die, das + Adjektiv + -ste / -este + noun
You use this form when the superlative comes before a noun.
Examples:
-
der schönste Kuchen.
the most beautiful cake -
die leichteste Aufgabe.
the easiest task -
das netteste Kind.
the nicest child
Be careful:
When the superlative comes before a noun, it gets an adjective ending. That is why the form can change in a sentence:
-
den schnellsten Zug
the fastest train -
mit dem schönsten Blick
with the most beautiful view -
die schönste Stadt
the most beautiful city
The superlative with an Extra e
When adjectives end in -d, -ß, -sch, -t, -tz, -x or -z, the extra e makes pronunciation easier.
-
wild - Dieses Pferd ist am wildesten. Es ist das wildeste Pferd
This horse is the wildest. It is the wildest horse. -
süß - Omas Beeren sind am süßesten. Sie hat die süßesten Beeren.
Grandma’s berries are the sweetest. She has the sweetest berries. -
hübsch - Das Kleid finde ich am hübschesten. Es ist das hübscheste Kleid, das ich habe!
I think this dress is the prettiest. It is the prettiest dress I have! -
alt - Diese Kirche ist am ältesten. Das ist die älteste Kirche der Stadt.
This church is the oldest. It is the oldest church in the city. -
spitz - Welcher Pfeil ist am spitzesten? Ich brauche den spitzesten Pfeil.
Which arrow is the sharpest? I need the sharpest arrow. -
fix - Lena ist sehr schnell - sie ist am fixesten von allen! Sie ist das fixeste Kind, das ich kenne!
Lena is very quick — she is the quickest of all! She is the quickest child I know! -
kurz - Im Winter sind die Tage am kürzesten. Es sind die kürzesten Tage des Jahres.
In winter, the days are the shortest. They are the shortest days of the year.
Same pattern:
blind, blöd, dicht, echt, fest, fett, feucht, fies, glatt, hart, heiß, laut, leicht, leise, mies, mild, müde, nett, sanft, satt, schlecht, spät, stolz, weise, zart ...
The adjective groß forms the superlative without an extra e:
groß - größer - am größten
big – bigger – the biggest
das größte Problem
the biggest problem
Umlauts in the comparative and superlative
Many adjectives with a, o or u get an umlaut in the comparative and superlative:
a → ä
o → ö
u → ü
Examples:
-
alt – älter – am ältesten
old – older – the oldest -
arm – ärmer – am ärmsten
poor – poorer – the poorest -
dumm – dümmer – am dümmsten
stupid – more stupid – the most stupid -
groß – größer – am größten
big – bigger – the biggest -
hart – härter – am härtesten
hard – harder – the hardest -
jung – jünger – am jüngsten
young – younger – the youngest -
kalt – kälter – am kältesten
cold – colder – the coldest -
krank – kränker – am kränksten
ill/sick – more ill/sicker – the most ill/the sickest -
kurz – kürzer – am kürzesten
short – shorter – the shortest -
lang – länger – am längsten
long – longer – the longest -
scharf – schärfer – am schärfsten
sharp/spicy – sharper/spicier – the sharpest/the spiciest -
schwach – schwächer – am schwächsten
weak – weaker – the weakest -
stark – stärker – am stärksten
strong – stronger – the strongest -
warm – wärmer – am wärmsten
warm – warmer – the warmest
Some longer adjectives follow this pattern too:
-
gesund – gesünder – am gesündesten
healthy – healthier – the healthiest
But be careful:
Not every adjective with a, o or u gets an umlaut. That is why it is best to learn these forms directly with the adjective.
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms: gut, viel, hoch, nah
These adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. It is best to learn them as fixed forms.
gut – besser – am besten
good – better – the best
der gute Plan – der bessere Plan – der beste Plan
the good plan – the better plan – the best plan
Beispiel:
-
Diese Idee ist gut.
This idea is good. -
Diese Idee ist besser.
This idea is better. -
Das ist die beste Idee.
This is the best idea.
nah – näher – am nächsten
near – nearer / closer – the nearest / closest
der nahe Bahnhof – der nähere Bahnhof – der nächste Bahnhof
the nearby station – the nearer station – the nearest station
Beispiel:
-
Der Bahnhof ist nah.
The train station is nearby. -
Die Bushaltestelle ist näher.
The bus stop is closer. -
Der Supermarkt ist am nächsten.
The supermarket is the closest.
Note: der nächste Bahnhof can mean “the nearest station” or “the next station”, depending on the context.
viel – mehr – am meisten
much / a lot – more – the most
viel Geld – mehr Geld – das meiste Geld
a lot of money – more money – the most money
Beispiel:
-
Anna hat viel Geld.
Anna has a lot of money. -
Peter hat mehr Geld.
Peter has more money. -
Lena hat am meisten Geld. / Sie hat das meiste Geld.
Lena has the most money.
hoch – höher – am höchsten
high – higher – the highest
das hohe Haus – das höhere Haus – das höchste Haus
the tall building – the taller building – the tallest building
Beispiel:
-
Dieser Berg ist hoch.
This mountain is high. -
Dieser Berg ist höher.
This mountain is higher. -
Die Zugspitze ist am höchsten.
The Zugspitze is the highest.
Can You Compare Adverbs in German?
Adverbs cannot be declined. Many adverbs also cannot be compared. For example, you cannot say “hierer” or “am hiersten”.
However, some important adverbs do have comparative forms.
gern – lieber – am liebsten
gladly / like to – prefer to – like most
Ich trinke gern Tee. (I like drinking tea.)
Ich trinke lieber Kaffee. (I prefer drinking coffee.)
Am liebsten trinke ich Cappuccino. (I like cappuccino the most.)
oft – öfter / häufiger – am häufigsten
often – more often – most often
Ich gehe oft spazieren. (I often go for a walk.)
Im Sommer gehe ich öfter spazieren. (In summer, I go for walks more often.)
Am häufigsten gehe ich am Wochenende spazieren. (I go for walks most often at the weekend.)
bald – eher – am ehesten
soon – sooner / rather – most likely
Ich komme bald. (I will come soon.)
Vielleicht komme ich eher. (Maybe I will come sooner.)
Am ehesten komme ich am Freitag. (I am most likely to come on Friday.)
wohl – wohler – am wohlsten
comfortable / well – more comfortable – most comfortable
Ich fühle mich hier wohl. (I feel comfortable here.)
Zu Hause fühle ich mich wohler. (I feel more comfortable at home.)
Am wohlsten fühle ich mich mit Freunden. (I feel most comfortable with friends.)
sehr – mehr – am meisten
very / a lot – more – the most
Ich freue mich sehr, wenn die Sonne scheint. (I am very happy when the sun is shining.)
Ich freue mich noch mehr, wenn es warm ist. (I am even happier when it is warm.)
Am meisten freue ich mich, wenn ich Urlaub habe. (I am happiest when I am on vacation.)
Summary:
The most important things to know about comparative and superlative adjectives in German
You use comparative and superlative adjectives when you compare people or things.
An adjective has three degrees of comparison: the basic form (positive form), the comparative, and the superlative.
You usually form the comparative with the ending -er:
schnell – schneller, schön – schöner
fast – faster, beautiful – more beautiful
You usually form the superlative with am + -sten/-esten:
am schnellsten, am schönsten, am leichtesten
the fastest, the most beautiful, the easiest
When the superlative comes before a noun, you often use der, die, das + -ste/-este:
der schnellste Zug, die schönste Stadt, das größte Problem
the fastest train, the most beautiful city, the biggest problem
Some adjectives are irregular or change their vowel:
gut – besser – am besten, viel – mehr – am meisten, groß – größer – am größten
good – better – the best, much/a lot – more – the most, big – bigger – the biggest
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