Spanish Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives in Spanish

We are constantly comparing things to each other and categorizing things by their qualities or performance. We talk about the best restaurants, which routes are faster, and the worst types of weather.

When we talk about things, we often rate and compare them. As they are such a crucial part of our speech, it’s important to take some time to learn how to use comparatives and superlatives in Spanish!

Comparatives in Spanish

What exactly are comparatives? In English, they are an adjective with the ending -er that compares two different objects. For example, we have happier, harder, prettier, and meaner.

English comparatives can also be formed by adding the word “more” or “less” before an adjective (as in “more/less difficult”) or by using irregular comparatives (such as “best”). This format is quite similar to the Spanish comparative form. 

Regular Form

While you may usually think about comparatives as a positive comparison, there are actually two forms, one affirmative and one negative. As such, we need to look at the regular format for both types of Spanish comparatives.

Más + adjective + que

Menos + adjective + que

Thes phrases mirror the English format very closely. For example “more difficult than” would be directly translated as más difícil que. 

Irregular Adjectives

Just like English has irregular comparatives, Spanish does as well. Check them out below:

Adjective	Comparative	English
bueno	mejor	better
malo	peor	worse
grande	mayor	larger
viejo	mayor	older
pequeño	menor	smaller
joven	menor	younger

Now, don’t get too confused with the multiple uses of mayor and menor. Each word has two meanings (as shown above) which can be determined by the context of the sentence. 

Mi hermano mayor vive en Alemania.
My older brother lives in Germany.

Necesitamos mayor cantidad del producto.
We need a higher quantity of product.

Mi hermano menor vive en Alemania.
My younger brother lives in Germany.

Necesitamos menor cantidad del producto.
We need a lower quantity of the product.

As you can see by the examples, the differences between the uses of mayor and menor are clear when used in a sentence. However, that’s not the only trick with these words. You may be thinking that you have heard más grande instead of mayor, or más pequeño instead of menor. Interestingly, both forms of these adjectives are correct. Mayor and menor are much more commonly used when talking about ages. 

Negative Comparisons

Saying that something is more or less than another object is not the only way to make comparisons. In both English and Spanish, we have another way to compare things that is more focused on the negative side of things. 

He is not as smart as I thought.
Él no es tan inteligente como pensé.

Again, this way of comparing things directly translates between the languages. The Spanish formula for this comparative phrase is as follows:

No + verb + tan + adjective + como 

Superlatives in Spanish

Now that we know how to compare two objects, it’s time to move on to compare more than two objects using superlatives. In English, superlatives are formed by adding -est to an adjective (fastest), putting “the most” before an adjective (the most beautiful), or using irregular superlatives (best).

Just like with the comparatives, the superlatives in Spanish follow the English form of added words before the adjective. 

Regular Form

For the superlatives in Spanish, we have two forms with several variations. The formulas are: 

el/la/los/las + más + adjective

el/la/los/las + menos + adjective

Just as with the comparative forms, we have a positive (más) and a negative (menos) form. However, to say “the most” or “the least” in Spanish, you have to use an article. Depending on the circumstance, you could use el, la, los, or las.

Ellas son las más altas de la clase.
They are the tallest girls in the class.

Nosotros somos los menos interesantes aquí.
We are the least interesting people here.

Ella es la menos apreciada. 
She is the least appreciated.

Él es el más querido de la clase.
He is the most loved one in the class.

Irregular Adjectives

If there are irregular adjectives in the comparative form, it only stands to reason that the superlatives in Spanish include some irregular forms as well. Thankfully, they are the same adjectives as for the comparatives. 

Adjective	Comparative	English
bueno	el/la mejor	best
malo	el/la peor	worst
grande	el/la mayor	largest
viejo	el/la mayor	oldest
pequeño	el/la menor	smallest
joven	el/la menor	youngest

Menor and Mayor

We’ve already discussed the uses of mayor and menor, but it is worth noting that the multiple meanings still apply to the form for superlatives in Spanish. 

Ella es la mayor de todos los hermanos. 
Ella es la más grande de todos los hermanos.
She is the oldest of her siblings.

Esa es la mayor cantidad posible. 
Esa es la más grande cantidad posible.
That is the greatest quantity possible.

Él es el menor de todos.
Él es el más pequeño de todos.
He is the youngest of them all.

Ese es el menor precio posible.
Ese es el más bajo precio posible.
That is the lowest price possible.

Lo Mejor

While our formula only included the articles el, la, los, and las, there is a specific pronoun that is often used in their place: lo. If you have ever heard lo mejor or lo peor, it is not an error.

When lo is placed before an adjective in the superlative form, no particular noun in the sentence defines the gender and plurality of the article. Using lo expresses a general tone, saying that something is the best or worst of all.

Esto sí es lo mejor.
This is definitely the best.

Lo peor es cuando no te contesta.
The worst is when they don’t answer you.

Fun Endings

One of the wonderful things about the Spanish language is that there are fun endings for words that express ideas that aren’t entirely tangible in English. 

Several of these endings can actually be translated as superlatives in Spanish. For example, if you say something is buenísimo, you are saying it is super good. You’re not literally spelling out that it is the best, but it implies extreme excellence that could be interpreted as the best.

-ísimo Endings
bueno	buenísimo
bello	bellísimo
feliz	felicísimo
largo	larguísimo
-bilísimo Endings
agradable	agradabilísimo
amable	amabilísimo
miserable	misirabilísimo
notable	notabilísimo
-císimo Endings
hablador	habladorcísimo
inferior	inferiorcísimo
joven	jovencísimo
-érrimo Endings
libre	libérrimo
mísero	misérrimo
salubre	salubérrimo

The Best Option Is Practice

Now that you’ve gone over the complete guide to Spanish comparatives and superlatives, it’s time for you to put it into practice. If you are ready to use them on your own, check out our blog post on Spanish grammar checkers so you can correct your work. You can also work on the following exercises for comparatives and superlatives in Spanish. Once you finish, check your responses with the answer key below!

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank with the correct Spanish comparative. 

1. Este libro es _______ que el que leímos el año pasado. (bueno, más)
2. En mi opinión, la flor blanca es _______ que la rosada. (bonita, más)
3. La tarea fue mucho _______ de lo que pensé. (difícil, más)
4. Esta opción es _______ que la mía. (complicada, menos) 
5. Él es _______ que tú. (grande, más)
6. La segunda película es _______ que la primera. (mal, menos)
7. Tu perro es _______ que el mío. (grande, más)
8. Esta camisa es _______ que la otra. (sucia, menos)
9. Este restaurante no es _______ como el otro. (lejos, tan)
10. Hace mucho _______ aquí que en mi casa. (frío, más)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blank with the correct Spanish superlative.

1. ¡Esta es _______ comida que he probado! (bueno)
2. Ella es _______. (bello, ending)
3. ¿Quién es _______? (joven)
4. Él es el estudiante _______ de la clase. (inteligente, más)
5. Esta situación es _______. (probable, menos)
6. ¿Cuál es el edificio _______ del mundo? (alto, más)
7. Ese automóvil es _______. (caro, más)
8. ¿Nos puede brindar tu servicio _______? (económico, más)
9. Esta máquina es _______. (eficaz, menos)
10. Este niño es _______. (curioso, más)

Exercise 3: Translate the sentences to English.

1. Llegaste a case más tarde que lo normal.
2. Esta clase es la más fácil. 
3. Yo soy su admirador más grande.
4. Este barrio es más callado que nuestro anterior.
5. ¿Eres más extrovertido que tu hermano?
6. Eso fue el resultado menos esperado.
7. Ella es la maestra más amable.
8. ¿Cuáles zapatos son más cómodos?
9. Este es el proceso menos eficaz.
10. Tú estás más feliz que antes.

Exercise 4: Translate the sentences to Spanish.

1. What is the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
2. I think that dress is prettier. 
3. That was the worst decision of my life.
4. The test will be harder than the last one.
5. She’s the funniest!
6. This is the least dangerous option.
7. You’re so much more adventurous than me.
8. He’s the shyest kid in the group.
9. I’m the youngest sibling. 
10. Are dogs or cats safer for kids?

Exercise 5: Write whether each statement is verdadero or falso. Correct the false statements.

1. There is only one way to form comparatives in Spanish.
2. Using endings like -ísimo is another way to express superlatives in Spanish.
3. There are multiple ways to use mayor and menor in Spanish.
4. Spanish superlatives are always preceded by the article el.
5. The words más and menos are used in both comparatives and superlatives.

Do you have any questions about the exercises? Would you like some more practice to be able to include these phrases naturally in your Spanish conversations? Take your Spanish skills to the next level by talking with a native Spanish speaker and get real-life examples of how to use comparatives and superlatives. Be sure to sign up for a free class with Homeschool Spanish Academy and see how much genuine Spanish conversation can help you with your fluency.

Comment below with any questions or try to write a sentence with superlatives in Spanish. We would love to hear from you and help you with your Spanish fluency!

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