Spanish superlative adjectives, including grammatical rules for formation, usage with articles, and examples of expressing the highest degree in a group.
Superlative adjectives in Spanish are used to express the highest degree of a quality among three or more people or things. This is typically done using the definite article plus más (more) or menos (less) before the adjective, followed by de (of) to indicate the group. There are also a few irregular superlatives that use special forms.
- Use el/la/los/las más + adjective + de to say "the most [adjective] of"
- Use el/la/los/las menos + adjective + de to say "the least [adjective] of"
- Use de to introduce the group or context
- Irregular superlatives use suffixes -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas
Formation Rules
The rules for forming superlative adjectives in Spanish depend on whether the adjective is regular or irregular:
| Type | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective + de | el más alto de la clase (the tallest in the class) |
| Irregular (absolute) | adjective + -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas | altísimo (very tall) |
- Gender and number of the article and adjective must agree with the noun
- más means "most," menos means "least"
- de introduces the group or context
How do you form an irregular absolute superlative in Spanish?
add the suffix -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas to the adjective
Irregular absolute superlatives add the suffix -ísimo (with gender and number agreement) directly to the adjective without using más or menos.
Usage Examples
Here are some examples of superlative adjectives in context:
| Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Ella es la más inteligente de la clase. | She is the smartest in the class. |
| Este es el libro menos interesante del grupo. | This is the least interesting book in the group. |
| Juan y María son los más trabajadores de la oficina. | Juan and María are the most hardworking in the office. |
- Use de to specify the group you're comparing within
- Superlatives can be used with people, objects, or abstract concepts
Este es el libro menos interesante del grupo.
This is the least interesting book in the group.
El libro menos interesante del grupo means 'the least interesting book in the group,' using menos for the lowest degree.
Irregular Superlatives
Some adjectives have irregular superlative forms using the suffix -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas. These indicate a very high degree but are not comparative (no “más” or “menos”):
| Positive Adjective | Irregular Superlative | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto (tall) | altísimo | Él es altísimo. | He is very tall. |
| fácil (easy) | facilísimo | La tarea es facilísima. | The homework is very easy. |
| rápido (fast) | rapidísimo | El coche es rapidísimo. | The car is very fast. |
- Accent marks may be needed to maintain pronunciation
- Examples show use without "más" or "menos"
Comparison with English
- Spanish uses el/la/los/las más/menos + adjective, while English uses the most/least + adjective
- Spanish must agree in gender and number; English does not
- Spanish irregular superlatives add -ísimo/-ísima; English uses “very” or “extremely”
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the definite article (el/la/los/las)
- Omitting de when specifying the group
- Not matching gender and number
- Using “más” with irregular superlative endings (e.g., más altísimo is incorrect)
Understanding Spanish superlative adjectives allows you to describe the extremes in any group clearly and accurately.
Flashcards (1 of 6)
- English Example: She is the smartest in the class.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
