French · Chapter 13 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Superlatives: le plus, le moins
The most and the least: le/la/les plus + adjective with the repeated article, de for 'in/of', and the irregulars le meilleur, le pire, le mieux.
The short version
The article really is written twice
An adjective that normally follows the noun keeps that slot in the superlative, so the definite article turns up once for the noun and again for the superlative: la ville la plus grande, le livre le plus intéressant. Pre-nominal adjectives take just one: le plus grand problème.
la ville la plus grande
The tallest of the class, not in it
English says the best restaurant in town; French says de, never dans. Le meilleur restaurant de la ville, le plus grand de la classe, la plus belle plage du monde. Think of it as of rather than in and you will pick the right word every time.
le meilleur restaurant de la ville
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