Guía completa de los adjetivos superlativos en español: formación, uso en oraciones y ejemplos claros para comparar cualidades entre objetos y personas.
Complete guide to Spanish superlative adjectives: formation, use in sentences, and clear examples for comparing qualities among objects and people.
Superlative adjectives show the highest degree of a quality among three or more things. This guide covers the main forms for short and long adjectives, irregulars, and useful phrases.
Form
Short Adjectives
Short adjectives form the superlative by adding -est and usually doubling a final consonant if needed. They can appear with the before them.
| English Word(s) | English Sentence(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| tall | She is the tallest in the class. | |
| big | This is the biggest apple. | |
| hot | Today is the hottest day. |
Long Adjectives
Long adjectives form the superlative with the most before the adjective. They do not change form.
| English Word(s) | English Sentence(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | That is the most beautiful painting. | |
| expensive | This is the most expensive car. | |
| difficult | It was the most difficult test. |
Irregular
Irregular superlatives change form completely and must be memorized. Common ones include best, worst, farther/furthest, and least.
| English Word | Superlative English Word | |
|---|---|---|
| good | best | |
| bad | worst | |
| far | farthest / furthest | |
| little | least |
Usage
The superlative is usually used with the because it refers to one member that stands out. It can modify nouns directly or function as a complement after verbs like be.
Summary
Use -est for short adjectives and the most for long ones. Remember irregular forms and always use the with superlatives that single out the top example.
Suggested Reading

English File by Unknown (Oxford University Press series)

Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy

English Grammar Workbook: Simple Grammar for Non-Native Speakers by SIMPLE English Language School

Essential Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy

New Concept English by L. G. Alexander

Oxford Practice Grammar by Norman Coe, Mark Harrison & Ken Paterson

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus
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