Superlative Adjective in German
Superlative Adjective in German.In German, superlative adjectives are used to express the highest degree of a quality. They are often formed by adding “-ste” to the adjective and are preceded by the definite article (“der,” “die,” “das” for nominative case). In some cases, there may be umlaut changes or irregular forms. Here’s a table illustrating some examples of superlative adjectives in German, along with their English translations:
| German Adjective (Basic Form) | German Superlative Form | English Adjective | English Superlative Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| schnell (fast) | am schnellsten | fast | fastest |
| groß (big) | am größten | big | biggest |
| klein (small) | am kleinsten | small | smallest |
| alt (old) | am ältesten | old | oldest |
| jung (young) | am jüngsten | young | youngest |
| gut (good) | am besten | good | best |
| kalt (cold) | am kältesten | cold | coldest |
| heiß (hot) | am heißesten | hot | hottest |
- In these examples, adjectives like “schnell,” “groß,” and “klein” receive the “-sten” ending and an umlaut change if applicable (“groß” → “größten”).
- Irregular forms, like “gut” → “am besten” (best), don’t follow the standard pattern.
- The word “am” is commonly used before the superlative form in German to indicate “the most” (e.g., “am schnellsten” means “the fastest”).
These examples illustrate how superlative adjectives are formed and used in German to express the highest degree of a quality or characteristic.
xamples
Certainly! Here is a table with examples of superlative adjectives in German, along with sentences for context, and their English translations. This table will help illustrate how superlative adjectives are used in German phrases.
| German Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Das ist das schnellste Auto. | That is the fastest car. |
| Er ist der größte Spieler im Team. | He is the tallest player on the team. |
| Sie hat die kleinsten Hände. | She has the smallest hands. |
| Mein Großvater ist der älteste Mann im Dorf. | My grandfather is the oldest man in the village. |
| Dieser Sommer war der heißeste aller Zeiten. | This summer was the hottest of all time. |
| Er macht das Beste aus der Situation. | He makes the best of the situation. |
| Das ist der kälteste Winter seit Jahren. | This is the coldest winter in years. |
| Sie ist die jüngste Lehrerin an unserer Schule. | She is the youngest teacher at our school. |
These sentences use superlative adjectives in German, such as “das schnellste” (the fastest), “der größte” (the tallest), and “die kleinste” (the smallest), to express the highest degree of a quality or attribute. The translation of each sentence into English provides a clear understanding of their meaning.
Sentences
Absolutely! Here’s a table featuring sentences that use superlative adjectives in German, along with their English translations. This will provide a clear example of how superlative adjectives are used in various contexts.
| German Sentence with Superlative | English Translation of the Sentence |
|---|---|
| Das ist das höchste Gebäude der Stadt. | That is the tallest building in the city. |
| Er ist der klügste Schüler in der Klasse. | He is the smartest student in the class. |
| Sie hat das schönste Kleid auf der Party. | She has the most beautiful dress at the party. |
| Das ist der kürzeste Weg zum Bahnhof. | That is the shortest way to the train station. |
| Heute ist der wärmste Tag des Jahres. | Today is the warmest day of the year. |
| Er läuft am schnellsten von allen. | He runs the fastest of all. |
| Das ist das beste Restaurant in der Stadt. | That is the best restaurant in the city. |
| Sie ist die freundlichste Person, die ich kenne. | She is the friendliest person I know. |
These sentences demonstrate how superlative adjectives in German are used to express the highest degree of a quality. They provide a useful insight into the practical application of superlatives in everyday German language.
Phrases
Certainly! Here’s a table containing phrases with superlative adjectives in German, accompanied by their English translations. These phrases offer a practical look at how superlatives are used in the German language.
| German Phrase with Superlative | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Er ist am stärksten. | He is the strongest. |
| Sie ist am intelligentesten in ihrer Familie. | She is the most intelligent in her family. |
| Das ist das leckerste Essen, das ich je hatte. | This is the tastiest food I’ve ever had. |
| Wir sind am glücklichsten, wenn wir zusammen sind. | We are happiest when we are together. |
| Das war der langweiligste Film aller Zeiten. | That was the most boring movie of all time. |
| Das ist das älteste Gebäude der Stadt. | That is the oldest building in the city. |
| Er fährt das schnellste Auto. | He drives the fastest car. |
| Sie hat das schönste Lächeln. | She has the most beautiful smile. |
These phrases show how superlative adjectives are commonly used in German to express extremes or the highest degree of a certain quality.
Comprison
To illustrate the differences between superlative and comparative adjectives in German, along with their English translations, here’s a comparison table. This table will show the same adjectives in both their comparative and superlative forms in a sentence context.
| Adjective Type | German Adjective (Basic Form) | Comparative Sentence in German | Superlative Sentence in German | English Comparative Sentence | English Superlative Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast (schnell) | schnell | Der Zug ist schneller als das Auto. | Das ist der schnellste Zug. | The train is faster than the car. | That is the fastest train. |
| Big (groß) | groß | Mein Haus ist größer als dein Haus. | Das ist das größte Haus in der Stadt. | My house is bigger than your house. | That is the biggest house in the city. |
| Old (alt) | alt | Er ist älter als ich. | Sie ist die älteste Person in unserer Gruppe. | He is older than me. | She is the oldest person in our group. |
| Good (gut) | gut | Dieses Essen ist besser als jenes. | Das ist das beste Essen, das ich je hatte. | This food is better than that one. | That is the best food I’ve ever had. |
| Cold (kalt) | kalt | Heute ist es kälter als gestern. | Dies ist der kälteste Tag des Jahres. | Today is colder than yesterday. | This is the coldest day of the year. |
| Beautiful (schön) | schön | Dieser Garten ist schöner als jener. | Das ist der schönste Garten, den ich gesehen habe. | This garden is more beautiful than that one. | This is the most beautiful garden I have seen. |
- Comparative Sentence in German: The comparative form is used to compare two entities (e.g., “schneller als” means “faster than”).
- Superlative Sentence in German: The superlative form is used to describe the highest degree of something within a group or in general (e.g., “der schnellste” means “the fastest”).
This table demonstrates how the same adjective can be used in different forms to compare two things or to describe something as being the most in its category.
