German Comparative and Superlative: How to Say "Bigger" and "the Biggest"

You compare things every day: which apartment is cheaper, which train is faster, which month is the warmest. In German, you need two adjective forms for this: the comparative (der Komparativ) and the superlative (der Superlativ).

This post explains the regular pattern, the spelling changes you need to notice, and common forms such as gut (good, well), besser (better), and am besten (best).

Try it first

Pick the form that fits each sentence. Read the short reason after each answer.

Here are the patterns behind the answers.

Three forms of one adjective

Every adjective you can compare has three forms. In German grammar books they are called der Positiv (the base form), der Komparativ (the comparative), and der Superlativ (the superlative).

The base form is the adjective you learn first. From schnell (fast), you make schneller (faster) and am schnellsten (the fastest).

The regular pattern

Most German adjectives follow one simple pattern. Add -er for the comparative. For the superlative, put am in front and add -sten to the end.

In English, long adjectives use "more" and "most": "more dangerous", "the most boring". German has no extra word for this. Every adjective, long or short, just adds -er, so gefährlich (dangerous) becomes gefährlicher, and langweilig (boring) becomes langweiliger. You never say mehr gefährlich.

Meine neue Wohnung ist kleiner, aber sie ist ruhiger. (My new apartment is smaller, but it is quieter.)

Auf dem Markt ist das Obst am billigsten. (The fruit is cheapest at the market.)

Mit dem Fahrrad ist die Stadt viel schöner. (The city is much more beautiful by bike.)

Short adjectives that add an umlaut

Many one-syllable adjectives with a, o, or u change to an umlaut in both the comparative and superlative. An umlaut changes a to ä, o to ö, or u to ü.

Mein Bruder ist zwei Jahre älter. (My brother is two years older.)

Im Winter sind die Tage kürzer. (In winter the days are shorter.)

In unserer Familie ist mein Opa am ältesten. (In our family, my grandpa is the oldest.)

Not every short adjective changes. Voll (full) becomes voller and am vollsten. Klar (clear) becomes klarer and am klarsten. You need to check new adjectives instead of assuming that every vowel will change.

When the superlative needs an extra e

Some adjective endings are difficult to say with -sten alone. After -t, -d, -s, -ß, -sch, or -z, add -esten in the superlative instead.

The comparative does not get this extra e.

Im August ist es hier am heißesten. (In August it is hottest here.)

Der Weg durch den Park ist am kürzesten. (The path through the park is the shortest.)

Von allen Kursen finde ich Geschichte am interessantesten. (Of all the courses, I find history the most interesting.)

Adjectives ending in -el and teuer

For adjectives ending in -el, the e before the l drops in the comparative. The same thing happens with teuer (expensive), where the e before the r drops.

The superlative keeps the e.

Im November sind die Abende dunkler. (In November the evenings are darker.)

Das Hotel am See ist teurer. (The hotel by the lake is more expensive.)

Im Zentrum sind die Wohnungen am teuersten. (The apartments are most expensive in the city centre.)

The irregular forms you need every day

A few common adjectives do not follow the normal pattern, so learn each one as a set of three forms.

Use gern, lieber, and am liebsten with a verb to say what you like doing, what you prefer doing, and what you like doing most.

Ich trinke gern Tee, aber ich trinke lieber Kaffee. Am liebsten trinke ich heiße Schokolade. (I like drinking tea, but I prefer coffee. Most of all, I like hot chocolate.)

Mehr never changes its form.

Diese Woche arbeite ich mehr. (This week I am working more.)

Von allen Kollegen reist Jonas am meisten. (Of all the colleagues, Jonas travels the most.)

With hoch, the c disappears in the comparative: höher. With nah, a ch appears in the superlative: am nächsten. And although groß ends in -ß, it does not need the extra e: am größten.

Mein Deutsch wird jeden Monat besser. (My German gets better every month.)

Am besten lernst du jeden Tag ein bisschen. (It is best to learn a little every day.)

Die Preise sind dieses Jahr höher. (Prices are higher this year.)

Welcher Bahnhof ist am nächsten? (Which station is the closest?)

There are only a few irregular forms like these. You will see and hear them often, so they become familiar quickly.

Where these forms go in a sentence

In this post, comparative and superlative forms come after a verb such as sein (to be), or they describe how someone does something. In this position, the comparative has no ending, and the superlative always uses am ... -sten.

Lena läuft am schnellsten. (Lena runs the fastest.)

Before a noun, these forms take normal adjective endings: mein bester Freund (my best friend). That is a separate topic.

To say "than", use als (than): Der Bus ist schneller als das Fahrrad. (The bus is faster than the bike.)

Mistakes English speakers make

Check the forms of new adjectives

When you learn a new adjective, learn all three forms together. The umlaut and the extra e are not always easy to guess.

The A1 adjective flashcards show the comparative and superlative of each adjective. You can also use the A1 adjectives list to look up forms when you need them.

Practise comparing things

Write three sentences about your own life: one with a comparative, perhaps about your apartment or city; one with am liebsten; and one with a superlative that needs an umlaut or an extra e.

Then use the A1 adjective flashcards to practise each adjective as a group of three forms.