Comparative and Superlative in German

Comparative and Superlative in German.In German, the formation of the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs is quite structured. Here’s an overview of how these forms are created, along with their English translations:

  1. Positive Form (Grundform): This is the basic form of the adjective or adverb.
    • German Example: “schnell” (fast)
    • English Translation: “fast”
  2. Comparative Form (Komparativ): This form is used to compare two entities. It is typically formed by adding “-er” to the end of the adjective or adverb. For English, “more” or the suffix “-er” is used.
    • German Example: “schneller” (faster)
    • English Translation: “faster”
  3. Superlative Form (Superlativ): This form is used to express the highest degree of something within a group or the most extreme quality. In German, it is typically formed in two ways:
    • For attributive use (when used with a noun), add “am” to the beginning and “-sten” (or “-esten” after a sibilant like “s”, “ß”, “z”) to the end of the adjective or adverb.
    • For predicative use (when used without a direct noun), add “-sten” (or “-esten”) to the adjective or adverb.

    In English, “the most” or the suffix “-est” is used.

    • German Example (Attributive): “am schnellsten” (the fastest)
    • German Example (Predicative): “schnellsten” (fastest)
    • English Translation: “the fastest”

It’s important to note that there are irregular adjectives and adverbs in German where these rules don’t apply, and their comparative and superlative forms must be memorized separately. For example, “gut” (good) becomes “besser” (better) and “am besten” (the best).

Examples

Here’s a table showing examples of adjectives in their positive, comparative, and superlative forms in German, along with their English translations:

German (Positive) English (Positive) German (Comparative) English (Comparative) German (Superlative) English (Superlative)
groß big größer bigger am größten the biggest
klein small kleiner smaller am kleinsten the smallest
schnell fast schneller faster am schnellsten the fastest
langsam slow langsamer slower am langsamsten the slowest
gut good besser better am besten the best
schlecht bad schlechter worse am schlechtesten the worst
alt old älter older am ältesten the oldest
jung young jünger younger am jüngsten the youngest
hoch high höher higher am höchsten the highest
niedrig low niedriger lower am niedrigsten the lowest
teuer expensive teurer more expensive am teuersten the most expensive
billig cheap billiger cheaper am billigsten the cheapest
schön beautiful schöner more beautiful am schönsten the most beautiful
hässlich ugly hässlicher uglier am hässlichsten the ugliest
interessant interesting interessanter more interesting am interessantesten the most interesting

This table provides a clear comparison of common adjectives in their various forms, showcasing the structure of the German language in relation to English.

Sentences

Here’s a table with sentences illustrating the use of comparative and superlative forms in German, along with their English translations:

German Sentence (Comparative) English Translation (Comparative) German Sentence (Superlative) English Translation (Superlative)
Mein Haus ist größer als dein Haus. My house is bigger than your house. Das ist das größte Haus in der Stadt. That is the biggest house in the city.
Er läuft schneller als sie. He runs faster than she does. Er ist der schnellste Läufer im Team. He is the fastest runner on the team.
Dieser Apfel ist süßer als jener. This apple is sweeter than that one. Das ist der süßeste Apfel der Welt. That is the sweetest apple in the world.
Sie ist klüger als ihr Bruder. She is smarter than her brother. Sie ist die klügste Person, die ich kenne. She is the smartest person I know.
Der Film war schlechter als erwartet. The movie was worse than expected. Das war der schlechteste Film, den ich je gesehen habe. That was the worst movie I have ever seen.
Dieses Buch ist interessanter als das andere. This book is more interesting than the other. Das ist das interessanteste Buch, das ich gelesen habe. That is the most interesting book I have read.
Er ist jünger als seine Schwester. He is younger than his sister. Er ist der jüngste Schüler in seiner Klasse. He is the youngest student in his class.
Ihr Kleid ist schöner als meins. Her dress is more beautiful than mine. Das ist das schönste Kleid im Laden. That is the most beautiful dress in the store.

These sentences provide practical examples of how comparative and superlative forms are used in everyday German, along with their English translations for a better understanding of the language nuances.

Comparison

To illustrate the comparison between the comparative and superlative forms in German, along with their English translations, here’s a table that shows how the same adjective is used differently in each form:

German Adjective Comparative Form in German Comparative Translation in English Superlative Form in German Superlative Translation in English
groß (big) größer (bigger) bigger am größten (the biggest) the biggest
klein (small) kleiner (smaller) smaller am kleinsten (the smallest) the smallest
schnell (fast) schneller (faster) faster am schnellsten (the fastest) the fastest
langsam (slow) langsamer (slower) slower am langsamsten (the slowest) the slowest
gut (good) besser (better) better am besten (the best) the best
schlecht (bad) schlechter (worse) worse am schlechtesten (the worst) the worst
jung (young) jünger (younger) younger am jüngsten (the youngest) the youngest
alt (old) älter (older) older am ältesten (the oldest) the oldest
teuer (expensive) teurer (more expensive) more expensive am teuersten (the most expensive) the most expensive
billig (cheap) billiger (cheaper) cheaper am billigsten (the cheapest) the cheapest
schön (beautiful) schöner (more beautiful) more beautiful am schönsten (the most beautiful) the most beautiful
hässlich (ugly) hässlicher (uglier) uglier am hässlichsten (the ugliest) the ugliest
interessant (interesting) interessanter (more interesting) more interesting am interessantesten (the most interesting) the most interesting

This table provides a clear comparison of how the same adjectives are used in different forms in German, and their corresponding translations into English.