Italian Grammar Bank
COMPARATIVE & SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES IN ITALIAN
Today we’ll talk about how to form and how to use comparative and superlative adjectives in Italian.
Comparative adjectives are used to compare 2 elements, while superlative adjectives express the maximum degree of the quality expressed by an adjective.
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
In Italian, comparative adjectives are simply formed by adding the adverbs più (more) and meno (less) in front of the adjective.
The structure of comparative sentences is the following:
The comparative of equality, used to express that two elements have the same degree of a certain quality, is formed in the following way:
PATTERN
A + Essere + Adjective + Quanto / Come + B
But in everyday language, it is much more usual to use come instead of quanto.
SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES
Superlative adjectives express the highest degree of an adjective and, in Italian, there are two types of superlatives:
The absolute superlative and the relative superlative.
The absolute superlative expresses the highest degree of a certain quality and is formed by removing the last letter of an article and then adding the prefix -issimo, which in the feminine becomes -issima, in the masculine plural -issimi, and in the feminine plural -issime.
The meaning is the same as when we say “molto” (very) before an adjective.
| MASCULINE | FEMININE | |
| SINGULAR | -issimo | -issima |
| PLURAL | -issimi | -issime |
The relative superlative is used to express the highest quality of something with respect to the group to which we are comparing it.
PATTERN
A + Essere + il/lo/la… + Noun + Comparative form + Di or Articulated preposition + B
Sounds complicated? Let’s look at some examples:
| Roma è la città più bella del mondo. | Rome is the most beautiful city in the world |
| Questa è stato l’inverno meno freddo degli ultimi anni. | This has been the least cold winter in years |
| Giovanni è il più bravo della classe. | Giovanni is the best kid in his class |
Sometimes, the noun can be omitted, because it can be inferred by the context:
| Giovanni è il bambino più bravo della classe. | Giovanni is the best kid in his class. |
| Questa è la canzone più bella dell’album. | This is the best song of the album. |
| Sono l’uomo più felice del mondo! | I’m the happiest in the world! |
Comparatives and relative superlatives can seem similar, but let’s look at them more closely:
A definite article before più/meno can make a big difference!
EXCEPTIONS
Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. You can find them all in the following table:
| ADJECTIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|
| Buono | Migliore | Ottimo |
| Cattivo | Peggiore | Pessimo |
| Grande | Maggiore | Massimo |
| Piccolo | Minore | Minimo |
| Alto | Superiore (a...) | Sommo |
| Basso | Inferiore (a...) | Minimo |
Therefore, it is incorrect to say “più migliore” or “ottimissimo”, because those are already in the comparative and superlative form.
Actually, regular forms of these adjectives exist and are used very often. Irregular forms usually refer to abstract concepts, results, numbers, etc., while regular forms are used to express more concrete qualities.
In the table below we can see examples of both regular and irregular forms.
COMPARATIVE:
| ADJ. | COMPARATIVE | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Buono |
Migliore
Used to talk about concepts, projects, ideas, quality… Più buono Used to talk about food or goodness of character |
Il tuo progetto è migliore del mio.
Your project is better than mine. Il gelato al cioccolato è più buono di quello alla menta. Chocolate ice cream is better than mint ice cream. |
| Cattivo |
Peggiore
Used to talk about concepts, projects, ideas, quality… Più cattivo Used to talk about food or evilness of character |
La seconda proposta è peggiore della prima.
The second proposal is worse than the first. Non ho mai assaggiato una pizza più cattiva di questa! I have never tasted a worse pizza than this! |
| Grande |
Maggiore
Used to talk about concepts or with “fratello” and “sorella Più grande Used to talk about size or to mean “great” |
Quattro è maggiore di due.
Four is bigger than two. La mia casa è più grande della tua. My house is bigger than yours. |
| Piccolo |
Minore
Used to talk about abstract concepts or with “fratello” and “sorella Più piccolo Used to talk about size or gestures |
Gianni è il fratello minore di Elisa.
Gianni is Elisa’s younger brother. Anche il più piccolo contributo sarà ben accetto. Even the smallest contribution will be welcome. |
| Alto |
Superiore (a...)
Used to talk about quality, intelligence and other abstract concepts Più alto Used to talk about height or sounds |
La sua intelligenza è superiore alla media.
His intelligence is above average. Marco è più alto di me. Marco is taller than me. |
| Basso |
Inferiore (a...)
Used to talk about quality, intelligence and other abstract concepts Più basso Used to talk about height, sounds, prices |
La qualità del raso è inferiore a quella della seta.
The quality of satin is lower than that of silk. Qui i prezzi del carburante sono più bassi. Fuel prices are lower here. |
SUPERLATIVE:
| ADJ. | SUPERLATIVE | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Buono |
Ottimo
Used to talk about concepts, projects, ideas, quality… Buonissimo Used to talk about food or goodness of character |
Abbiamo avuto ottimi risultati.
We had very good results. Michele è un bambino buonissimo. Michele is a very good child. |
| Cattivo |
Pessimo
Used to talk about concepts, projects, ideas, quality, jokes… Cattivissimo Used to talk about food or evilness of character – especially used by children |
La tua battuta era davvero pessima.
Your joke was really bad. Nel Re Leone, Scar è cattivissimo. In The Lion King, Scar is evil. |
| Grande |
Massimo
Used to talk about abstract concepts Grandissimo Used to talk about size or to mean “great” |
Vi prego di prestare la massima attenzione.
Please pay the utmost attention. Newton è stato un grandissimo scienziato. Newton was a great scientist. |
| Piccolo |
Minimo
Used to talk about abstract concepts Piccolissimo Used to talk about size or gestures | Non puoi ottenere tutto quello che vuoi senza il minimo sforzo. You cannot get everything you want without the slightest effort. A Milano ho trovato solo appartamenti piccolissimi. In Milan I only found very small flats. |
| Alto |
Sommo/supremo
Very rare, to talk about god-like figures Altissimo Used to talk about height, sounds, prices… |
Dante Alighieri è detto "il sommo poeta".
Dante Alighieri is called ‘the supreme poet’. Il vicino tiene sempre la musica altissima. The neighbor always keeps the music very loud. |
| Basso |
Minimo
Used with abstract concepts Bassissimo Used to talk about height, sounds, prices… |
Il rischio di questa operazione è minimo.
The risk of this operation is minimal. Il volume della tv è bassissimo. The volume of the TV is very low. |
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FAQs
What does “bellissimo” mean?
It means “very beautiful”. You can also say “molto bello”, but “bellissimo” expresses a slightly higher degree.
Remember that adjectives follow the gender and number of the noun they refer to, so if you’re talking to or about a girl, you should say “bellissima”.
What differs between “più buono” and “migliore”?
They’re both comparative forms of “buono”. However, they’re used in different contexts: in short, “più buono” is used to talk about good food or good people, while in the majority of cases, if you want to say “better”, you say “migliore”.
How do I say “better than” and “the best” in Italian?
You use “migliore” for both meanings. However, since “the best” is a relative superlative, it needs a definite article,
Questo piano è migliore dell’altro. (This plan is better than the other one).
Questo piano è il migliore. (This plan is the best one).
Why can’t I say “più peggiore”?
Because “peggiore” is already a comparative form, so it’s redundant. So you should say “Questo è stato il compleanno peggiore di sempre.” “Ho avuto un voto peggiore del tuo” and so on.
How do I say “worse than” and “the worst” in Italian?
You use “peggiore” for both meanings. However, since “the worst” is a relative superlative, it needs a definite article,
Questo piano è peggiore dell’altro. (This plan is worse than the other one).
Questo piano è il peggiore. (This plan is the worst one).
How do I say “than” in Italian?
Usually, both comparative and relative superlative forms use “di” or an articulated preposition, if the following word needs an article (del, dello, della…):
Oggi è più caldo di ieri.
La poltrona è più comoda del divano.
Marco è il più simpatico della classe.
Matteo crede di essere il più bravo di tutti.
With “inferiore” and “superiore”, we use “a” or an articulated preposition (al, alla, alle…)
I risultati sono stati superiori alle aspettative.