Home›Grammar Topics›Comparatives and Superlatives

Topic 27A1intermediate⏱️ 25 min read

Comparatives and Superlatives

Komparativ und Superlativ

🎯 What You'll Learn

✓Learn how to form comparative and superlative adjectives
✓Understand irregular comparatives (gut→besser→am besten)
✓Use 'als' (than) in comparisons
✓Master the patterns: groß→größer→am größten

📖 Introduction

To compare things in German, you need comparatives (bigger, better) and superlatives (biggest, best). German follows similar patterns to English, but with some unique rules.

💡 Explanation

Three forms of adjectives:

Positive: groß (big) Comparative: größer (bigger) Superlative: am größten (biggest)

Comparatives add -er, superlatives add -sten or -esten.

📋 Key Rules

Forming Comparatives

Add -er to the adjective. Often adds umlaut (ä, ö, ü) to a, o, u

Examples:

• klein → kleiner (smaller)
• groß → größer (bigger)
• alt → älter (older)
• jung → jünger (younger)

Forming Superlatives

Add 'am' + adjective + -sten. If adjective ends in -d, -t, -s, -ß, -z, add -esten

Examples:

• klein → am kleinsten (smallest)
• groß → am größten (biggest)
• interessant → am interessantesten (most interesting)

Using 'als' for comparison

'Als' means 'than' when comparing

Examples:

• Er ist größer als ich. (He is taller than me.)
• Das Auto ist teurer als das Fahrrad. (The car is more expensive than the bicycle.)

Irregular comparatives

Some adjectives have irregular forms

Examples:

• gut → besser → am besten (good, better, best)
• viel → mehr → am meisten (much, more, most)
• gern → lieber → am liebsten (gladly, preferably, most preferably)

📝 Examples in Context

🇩🇪 Mein Haus ist größer als dein Haus.

🇬🇧 My house is bigger than your house.

💡 Comparative with als

Context: groß → größer (with umlaut)

🇩🇪 Sie ist die klügste Studentin.

🇬🇧 She is the smartest student.

💡 Superlative with article

Context: klug → klügste

🇩🇪 Dieses Buch ist interessanter.

🇬🇧 This book is more interesting.

💡 Simple comparative

Context: interessant → interessanter

🧠 Memory Tips

💡 Remember: -er for comparative, -sten for superlative

Just like English: small-smaller-smallest, klein-kleiner-kleinsten

💡 Umlaut often appears

a→ä, o→ö, u→ü in most one-syllable adjectives: alt→älter, jung→jünger

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌

Forgetting the umlaut

✅

Don't say 'groser'. It's 'größer' with umlaut ö!

❌

Using 'mehr' like English 'more'

✅

Don't say 'mehr interessant'. Just add -er: 'interessanter'.

✏️ Practice Sentences

Berlin ist größer als München.

Berlin is bigger than Munich.

📚 groß → größer + als for comparison

Das ist das beste Restaurant in der Stadt.

This is the best restaurant in the city.

📚 gut → beste (irregular superlative)

📚 Related Vocabulary

groß - bigklein - smallalt - oldjung - younggut - goodschlecht - badteuer - expensivebillig - cheap