Comparative and superlative adjectives in Spanish are used to express differences in quality or quantity and to highlight extremes. They must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe.
- Comparatives: Show that something has more, less, or as much as something else.
- Superlatives: Indicate the highest or lowest degree of a quality in a group.
Comparative Adjectives
Comparatives describe more than, less than, or equal to situations.
| Type | Structure | Example (adj: alto) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than | más + adj + que | María es más alta que Ana. | María is taller than Ana. |
| Less than | menos + adj + que | Carlos es menos alto que Juan. | Carlos is less tall than Juan. |
| Equal to | tan + adj + como | Pedro es tan alto como Luis. | Pedro is as tall as Luis. |
- Replace adj with the correct form matching the noun's gender and number.
The structure for 'more than' is 'más + adjective + que'.
For equal comparisons, use 'tan + adjective + como'.
Superlative Adjectives
Superlatives express the extreme degree of a quality.
| Type | Structure | Example (adj: alto) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute | adj + -ísimo (-a, -os, -as) | Muy alto → altísimo (altísima, altísimos, altísimas) | Very tall → extremely tall |
| Relative (best/worst) | el/la/los/las + más/menos + adj | Ella es la más alta de la clase. | She is the tallest in the class. |
- For relative superlatives, use el/la/los/las according to the noun's gender and number.
The structure for 'the most' is 'el/la/los/las + más + adjective'.
For absolute superlatives, add -ísimo/a/os/as to the adjective.
Conclusion
Spanish comparatives and superlatives are essential for nuanced expression and follow systematic patterns of agreement and construction.
- Use más/menos + adj + que for comparatives; tan + adj + como for equal.
- Use el/la/los/las + más/menos + adj for relative superlatives.
- Form absolute superlatives by adding -ísimo to the adjective stem.
Comparatives use más/menos + adj + que and tan + adj + como.
Adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they modify.
Use 'altísimo' to express an absolute superlative ('very/extremely tall').