Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives describe the extreme degree of a quality in one thing compared to all others, or an absolute extreme. This guide covers forming superlatives in Spanish and useful vocabulary to talk about extremes.

Key Vocabulary

Key vocabulary helps you describe extremes more naturally, including adjectives and market-related nouns that often come up when comparing products or places.

Spanish Word(s)	English Word(s)
el más caro	the most expensive
el más barato	the cheapest
la mejor calidad	the best quality
la peor marca	the worst brand
el más grande	the largest
el más pequeño	the smallest

Spanish Example	English Translation
🏪 Esta tienda es más grande que las otras.	This store is bigger than the others.
🏬 El mercado central es el más colorido de la ciudad.	The central market is the most colorful in the city.
🥖 Estos panes están más frescos que los de la esquina.	These breads are fresher than those on the corner.
🍓 Las fresas de aquel puesto son las más dulces que he probado.	The strawberries from that stall are the sweetest I've ever tasted.
🧺 Traje una cesta más grande para comprar más frutas.	I brought a bigger basket to buy more fruit.
🌸 El puesto de flores es el más bonito del mercado.	The flower stall is the prettiest in the market.

Formation

The absolute superlative adds -ísimo to an adjective to intensify it, while the relative superlative uses más or menos with the adjective to compare against a group.

Relative Superlative

The relative superlative expresses that something has the highest or lowest degree of a quality within a group by using más or menos plus the adjective, and agreeing in gender and number with the noun.

Absolute Superlative

The absolute superlative expresses an extreme degree without direct comparison by adding -ísimo (or its feminine/plural forms) to the adjective stem, and it can sometimes be modified with adverbs for extra emphasis.

Market Vocabulary

Market vocabulary includes useful nouns and adjectives for discussing products, prices, and quality when making comparisons in contexts like stores, markets, or reviews.

Spanish Word(s)	English Word(s)
la calidad	quality
el precio	price
la talla	size
la marca	brand
el producto	product
la oferta	sale / deal
caro / barata	expensive / cheap
grande / pequeño	large / small

Spanish Example	English Translation
🍎 Las manzanas rojas del puesto de enfrente se ven muy jugosas.	The red apples from the stall across look very juicy.
🍊 Compré naranjas y limones para hacer jugo mezclado.	I bought oranges and lemons to make mixed juice.
🍌 Hay un montón de plátanos maduros por un buen precio.	There are a lot of ripe bananas at a good price.
🥕 Las zanahorias frescas se vendieron rápidamente.	The fresh carrots sold quickly.
🌽 El maíz tierno se cocina delicioso a la parrilla.	The tender corn grills deliciously.
🍯 Compré miel natural en un frasco pequeño.	I bought natural honey in a small jar.
🥬 La lechuga verde y crujiente es perfecta para ensalada.	The green and crunchy lettuce is perfect for salad.
🥚 En el puesto de huevos hay docenas de huevos frescos.	At the egg stall there are dozens of fresh eggs.

Summary

Relative superlatives use más/menos plus an agreeing adjective to compare within a group, absolute superlatives add -ísimo to intensify without direct comparison, and market vocabulary helps you talk about price, quality, and other relevant features when describing extremes.

Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025