A2 · The adjective
The superlative that compares nothing
One of the two compares with somebody; the other compares with nobody.
Beside the ordinary superlative — o mais bonito, « the most beautiful » — there is a second one that beats nobody: bonito becomes bonitíssimo, and that does not mean « the most beautiful » but « absolutely beautiful ».
It is built by dropping the final vowel and adding -íssimo: caro gives caríssimo, fácil gives facílimo, difícil gives dificílimo. It agrees like any adjective: caríssima, caríssimos.
A few take their form from Latin and are learnt by heart: bom → ótimo, mau → péssimo, grande → máximo, pequeno → mínimo. English has all four of these words and uses none of them this way, which makes them easy to recognise and easy to misread.
In everyday speech muito often stands in its place: muito caro says the same as caríssimo with less emphasis. Both are correct; -íssimo is the stronger.
Die Form
| absolutely beautiful | bonito → bonitíssimo |
| terribly expensive | caro → caríssimo |
| dead easy | fácil → facílimo |
| excellent | bom → ótimo |
| dreadful | mau → péssimo |
| the most beautiful | o mais bonito |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
The final vowel drops and -íssimo is added.
O bilhete estava caríssimo.The ticket was terribly expensive.
It agrees like any adjective.
As casas aqui são caríssimas.Houses here are terribly expensive.
bom and mau have forms of their own.
O jantar estava ótimo.The dinner was excellent.
The comparing superlative needs o mais.
É o museu mais antigo da cidade.It is the oldest museum in the town.
Woran man es erkennt
- -íssimo
- caríssimo
- ótimo
- péssimo
- o mais
Beispielsätze
O filme foi longuíssimo, quase três horas.The film was terribly long, almost three hours.
Estou cansadíssima, vou deitar-me cedo.I am exhausted, I am going to bed early.
O tempo esteve péssimo toda a semana.The weather was dreadful all week.
É o restaurante mais barato do bairro.It is the cheapest restaurant in the neighbourhood.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The two superlatives say different things and only one of them compares. É o mais caro is « it is the most expensive » and puts other things beside it; é caríssimo is « it is terribly expensive » and puts nothing beside it. English uses « the most » for the first and « very » for the second, so the distinction is already there — but since -íssimo looks like a superlative ending, the temptation is to combine the two, and o mais caríssimo says the same thing twice.
o mais compares, -íssimo intensifies.
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