Learn Italian Superlatives

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The Italian languages uses superlatives a lot. In this lesson I will teach you what they are, how to form them and obviously how to use them just like a real native Italian would! 

First of all.. what in the world is a superlative?

Well if you say “Giulia is the best Italian teacher in te world!” You are using BEST as a superlative. 

So we can say that a superlative is used to express the highest or lowest degree of a quality or characteristic. 

Very often you will need to use them to describe extreme situations, when something’s either very big, very small, very good, very bad… and so on.

In Italian there are two main forms of superlatives the absolute superlative and the relative superlative.

• Superlativo assoluto: -issimo/a/i/e
• Superlativo relativo: articolo + più /meno + di 

Let’s look a the first one in detail: Il superlativo assoluto:

The Absolute Superlative: use it to say that something is “very” something

• In Sicilia in estate fa caldissimo (In Sicily it’s very hot in summer)
• Le canzoni di Elisa sono bellissime (Elisa’s songs are very beautiful)

Be careful to match gender and number… so the suffix "-issimo" for masculine singular and "-issima" for feminine singular. 

If you have plural form you will add -issime for feminine and - issimi for plural. 

Example:

• Alto (tall) → Altissimo (very tall - masculine singular)
• Alta (tall) → Altissima (very tall - feminine singular)
• Alte (tall) → altissime (very tall - feminine plural)
• alti (tall) → Altissimi (very tall - masculine plural)

Make a sentence yourself! Write it in the comments under the video!! 

Try with these adjectives:

• bello (beautiful)
• brutto (ugly)
• bravo (good)
• caldo (hot)
• freddo (cold)

ADD issimo /a/i/e depending on what you are saying and practice using these immediately!

For example … 

• Il frigorifero è freddissimo! (The fridge is very cold!)
• Luigi e Paolo sono bravissimi! (Luigi and Paolo are very good)
• Quella giacca è bellissima! (That jacket is very beautiful)

 BONUS INFO

You can also create a superlative by repeating the adjective:

• Questo appartamento è piccolo piccolo (This apartment is very small)
• Ho mangiato una pizza grande grande! I ate a very big pizza

Another option is to use TUTTO

• Emma era tutta contenta (Emma was very happy) 
  • tutto means all / entirely.. so if it’s as if you are saying that every part of her body was happy!

You can also use the prefixes STRA - Super - iper - mega…etc

Emma era STRACONTENTA

The second type of superlative is called the relative Superlative - superlativo relativo.

This form is also used to express high praise (or disdain!) but instead of saying someone’s very good or very bad, you use the relative superlative to say someone’s the best or the worst.

You will use it if you want to say “Giulia’s Youtube channel is the best!” THE BEST would be your relative superlative.

The relative superlative is formed by with this formula:

ARTICOLO + più / meno (adj) + di 

Basically you are going to use the word "il più" (the most) before the adjective, followed by "di" (of), and then the noun.

• La Valle d’Aosta è la regione più piccola d’Italia (valla d’asta is the smallest region of Italy)
• La Sicilia è la regione più grande d’Italia (Sicily is the biggest region of Italy)
• Maria è la più intelligente della classe. (Maria is the most intelligent in the class.) 

Now we do have particular superlatives where you can decide to either add -issimo or use an entirely different word to express the degree. In this case unfortunately you have to memorize them as they are… start with these here below!