German Grammar
German Comparative & Superlative Adjectives
The comparison of adjectives (Steigerung) in German has three degrees: positive (basic form), comparative (comparing two things), and superlative (the highest degree). German forms comparatives with -er and an optional "als" (than). It forms superlatives with -sten/-ste and sometimes an "am".
Examples:
- • Das Auto ist schnell. (The car is fast.)
- • Dieses Auto ist schneller als jenes. (This car is faster than that one.)
- • Das Auto ist am schnellsten. (The car is the fastest.)
Comparative Formation
The comparative is formed by adding -er to the positive form of the adjective. Unlike English, German never uses "mehr" (more) with adjectives to form the comparative.
| Positive | Comparative | Example with "als" | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| schnell | schneller | Er läuft schneller als ich. | He runs faster than me. |
| langsam | langsamer | Das Fahrrad ist langsamer als das Auto. | The bicycle is slower than the car. |
| wichtig | wichtiger | Gesundheit ist wichtiger als Geld. | Health is more important than money. |
Superlative Formation
The superlative has two forms: predicative (used after verbs) with am ... -sten, and attributive (before nouns) with -ste plus adjective endings.
| Positive | Predicative Superlative | Attributive Superlative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| klein | am kleinsten | der/die/das kleinste | Das ist das kleinste Haus. |
| neu | am neusten | der/die/das neuste | Mein Auto ist am neusten. |
Adjectives ending in -d, -t, -s, -ß, -x, or -z add an extra -e- in front of -st.
| Positive | Superlative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| alt | am ältesten | Er ist am ältesten. |
| heiß | am heißesten | Heute ist es am heißesten. |
| kurz | am kürzesten | Der kürzeste Weg |
Adjectives with Umlauts
Many (not all) one-syllable adjectives with the vowels a, o, or u take an umlaut (ä, ö, ü) in both comparative and superlative forms. Here are some examples:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt | älter | am ältesten | old / older / oldest |
| groß | größer | am größten | big / bigger / biggest |
| jung | jünger | am jüngsten | young / younger / youngest |
| klug | klüger | am klügsten | clever / cleverer / cleverest |
| kurz | kürzer | am kürzesten | short / shorter / shortest |
| lang | länger | am längsten | long / longer / longest |
| stark | stärker | am stärksten | strong / stronger / strongest |
| warm | wärmer | am wärmsten | warm / warmer / warmest |
Irregular Forms
Some adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative forms that must be memorized. Here are the most important ones:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| gut | besser | am besten | good / better / best |
| viel | mehr | am meisten | much/many / more / most |
| gern | lieber | am liebsten | gladly / rather / preferably |
| hoch | höher | am höchsten | high / higher / highest |
| nah | näher | am nächsten | near / nearer / nearest |
Special Spelling Rules
Adjectives ending in -el or -er drop the e in the comparative form (but keep it in the superlative).
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| dunkel | dunkler | am dunkelsten |
| teuer | teurer | am teuersten |
| sauer | saurer | am sauersten |
Declension of Comparative & Superlative
When used attributively (before nouns), both comparative and superlative adjectives take the same endings as regular adjectives according to case, gender, and number.
→ Learn more about Adjective Declension
Comparative Declension
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der kleinere Mann | die kleinere Frau | das kleinere Kind | die kleineren Leute |
| Accusative | den kleineren Mann | die kleinere Frau | das kleinere Kind | die kleineren Leute |
| Dative | dem kleineren Mann | der kleineren Frau | dem kleineren Kind | den kleineren Leuten |
| Genitive | des kleineren Mannes | der kleineren Frau | des kleineren Kindes | der kleineren Leute |
Superlative Declension
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der kleinste Mann | die kleinste Frau | das kleinste Kind | die kleinsten Leute |
| Accusative | den kleinsten Mann | die kleinste Frau | das kleinste Kind | die kleinsten Leute |
| Dative | dem kleinsten Mann | der kleinsten Frau | dem kleinsten Kind | den kleinsten Leuten |
| Genitive | des kleinsten Mannes | der kleinsten Frau | des kleinsten Kindes | der kleinsten Leute |