Comparative/Superlative Adjectives in Spanish Grammar
- Comparative Adjectives
- Superlative Adjectives
- Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
- Online exercises to improve your Spanish
Introduction
Comparative and superlative adjectives (los grados del adjetivo) allow us to compare the qualities expressed by adjectives. In Spanish grammar, comparative adjectives express more or less of a certain quality, whilst superlative adjectives express a superior quality.
Learn about the different types of comparative and superlatives in Spanish grammar with Lingolia’s simple overview then put your knowledge to the test in the exercises.
Example

María es tan rápida como Carolina. Clara es más rápida que María. Clara es la más rápida. Clara es la corredora más rápida. Clara es rapidísima.
Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives allow us to compare two or more things. There are two constructions for forming comparatives: más/menos + adjective + que; or tan + adjective + como. The adjective ending agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes.
- Example:
- Clara es más rápida que María.Clara is faster than María.
- superior comparison (comparativo de superioridad)
- María es tan rápida como Carolina.María is as fast as Carolina.
- equal comparison (comparativo de igualdad)
- María es menos rápida que Clara.María is not as fast as Clara.
- inferior comparison (comparativo de inferioridad)
Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives show the highest level of a quality. In Spanish grammar, superlative adjectives can be relative or absolute.
The Relative Superlative
The relative superlative describes a person or thing who possesses a certain quality to a greater or lesser degree than another. Its formed using the definite article + más/menos + adjective. The adjective ending agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes.
- Example:
- Clara es la más rápida.Clara is the fastest.
- Clara es la corredora más rápida.Clara is the fastest runner.
- Carolina es la corredora más lenta.Carolina is the slowest runner.
- Sofía es la menos rápida del grupo.Sofia is the least fast in the group.
The Absolute Superlative
The absolute superlative describes a noun at the highest or least degree without comparing it to any other noun. It is formed by adding -ísimo/-ísima/-ísimos/-ísimas to the word root of the adjective.
- Example:
- Clara es rapidísima. Clara is very/unbelievably/extremely fast.
- rápida → rapidísima
- Fue un examen facilísimo. It was a very easy exam.
- fácil → facilísimo
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
- Some adjectives use a instead of que to form the comparative.
- Example:
- inferior asmaller than
- superior alarger than
- anterior abefore, earlier than …
- posterior aafter, later than …
- There are certain spelling exceptions to note when forming the absolute superlative:
positive absolute superlative largo larguísimo rico riquísimo fuerte fortísimo amable amabilísimo antiguo antiquísimo pobre paupérrimo joven jovencísimo - Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:
positive comparative superlative bueno mejor el mejor malo peor el peor poco menos - mucho más - grande mayor el mayor pequeño menor el menor - Some adjectives are absolute in meaning and, therefore, cannot be used as comparatives and superlatives: eterno, infinito, omnipotente, ilimitado, inmortal, único, muerto, difunto.