French Superlatives

A superlative says one thing tops the lot: the biggest, the least expensive, the best. French builds it by putting a definite article in front of the comparative marker plus or . The article agrees with the noun, the adjective agrees too, and for adjectives that follow the noun the article ends up written twice.

Formation: article + plus / moins + adjective

The core shape is / / + plus / + adjective. Both the article and the adjective agree with the noun.

Noun gender / number	Superlative	English
masculine singular	plus grand	the biggest
singular	plus	the biggest
masculine plural	plus	the biggest
plural	plus	the biggest

plus grand (the biggest, masc sg)
plus (the biggest, fem sg)
plus (the biggest, masc pl)
plus (the smallest, fem pl)

For "the least", swap plus for :

(the least expensive)
(the least interesting)
(the least tired)

The adjective still obeys every agreement rule from the adjective agreement page. The superlative adds an article on top; it doesn't change how the adjective itself agrees.

Position and the repeated article

This is the part that trips people up. Where the superlative sits depends on where the plain adjective sits, and that decides whether the article appears once or twice.

Adjectives that go before the noun (the BAGS set: bon, grand, petit, jeune, beau, and so on) keep the superlative before the noun, with one article:

plus grand (the biggest problem)
plus (the smallest room)
plus (the most beautiful garden)

Adjectives that go after the noun keep the superlative after the noun, and the definite article is repeated - once for the noun, once for the superlative:

plus (the biggest city)
plus (the most interesting book)
plus (the fastest cars)
question (the least important question)

Pattern	Example	English
pre-nominal, one art	plus grand	the biggest problem
post-nominal, two arts	plus	the biggest city
post-nominal, two arts	restaurant plus	the most expensive restaurant

The doubled article is correct, not a typo. plus literally stacks "the city" and "the most big". You can sometimes hear plus as well, pulling the adjective forward into the pre-nominal slot, but the repeated-article version is the safe textbook form for post-nominal adjectives.

"in" after a superlative is de, not dans

English says "the tallest in the class". French uses , not :

plus grand (the tallest in the class)
restaurant (the best restaurant in town)
plus (the most beautiful beach in the world)
l' plus l' (the most serious pupil in the school)

Think of it as "the tallest of the class" and you'll pick the right word every time. would mean physically inside the room, which is not what a superlative is claiming.

The irregulars: meilleur, pire, mieux

The same three irregulars from the comparatives page carry straight into the superlative. They take an article but never take plus.

Base	Superlative	English
(adjective)		the best
(adj)		the worst
(adverb)		the best (adverb)

is an adjective and agrees with the noun in gender and number:

restaurant (the best restaurant)
(the best idea)
(the best players)
(the best marks)

is the worst. It has no separate feminine form - just / with the same word, and in the plural:

moment (the worst moment)
(the worst mistake)
(the worst news)

You can also say plus in many contexts; is slightly more formal and more emphatic.

is the superlative adverb and is invariable - one form, used with verbs:

c' (she's the one who works best)
c' (he sings the best)
, c' -ci j' (of all the dishes, this is the one I like best)

meilleur vs mieux: the split that matters

English has one word, "best", for both. French splits it, and the split is the same one you met in the comparatives:

= best adjective, sits with a noun, agrees: film (the best film).
= best adverb, sits with a verb, never agrees: (he plays the best).

If "best" describes a noun, you want . If "best" describes how someone does something (a verb), you want . The bon / bien adjective-adverb pair behaves exactly like English good / well, and the superlatives inherit that same divide. The full comparative side of this is on the comparatives page.

Superlatives of adverbs

For adverbs, put in front of plus or and the is frozen - it never agrees, because there's no noun to agree with.

court plus (she runs the fastest)
c' plus (he's the one who comes most often)
fort possible (speak as quietly as possible)
c' route 'on plus (that's the road we take least often)

The same invariable is what you see in - an adverb superlative wears a frozen whatever the subject.

Worked examples

plus . (Paris is the biggest city in France.)
C' plus l'. (It's the most difficult problem in the exam.)
a . (She got the best marks in the class.)
C' film j' . (It's the worst film I've ever seen.)
l', c' . (Of the whole team, he's the one who plays best.)
TGV train plus pays. (The TGV is the fastest train in the country.)
C' plus . (She's the one who answers the fastest.)

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using for "in" after a superlative: plus grand is wrong, it's plus grand . Dropping the repeated article on post-nominal adjectives: plus is wrong, it's plus . Saying plus instead of , or plus instead of - the irregulars never take plus. And confusing with : if it sits with a noun use (le meilleur joueur), if it sits with a verb use (il joue le mieux). Finally, agreeing the on an adverb superlative: it stays even with a feminine subject - court plus , not plus .

Paris est ville du monde. (grand, post-nominal) (post-nominal: repeat le/la)
C'est problème de la classe. (difficile, post-nominal) (post-nominal: repeat le/la)
C'est chambre de la maison. (petit, pre-nominal) (pre-nominal: one le/la)
Le TGV est train du pays. (grand, post-nominal) (post-nominal: repeat le/la)
C'est question de la classe. (important, moins, post-nominal) (moins, post-nominal: repeat le/la)
C'est film de l'année. (long, post-nominal) (post-nominal: repeat le/la)
C'est maison du pays. (beau, pre-nominal) (pre-nominal: one le/la, fem)
C'est question de la classe. (facile, moins, post-nominal) (moins, post-nominal: repeat le/la)
Ce sont voitures du monde. (cher, post-nominal, fem pl) (post-nominal plural: repeat les)

Translation drill

0/9

Translate into French, using the right superlative form, the repeated article where the adjective follows the noun, de for 'in', and the meilleur / mieux split.

Paris is the biggest city in the world.
It's the best cafe in town.
She is the one who works best.
It's the most expensive cafe.
It's the most difficult problem in the class.
She got the best book in the class.
It's the worst film I've ever seen.
He's the one who plays best.
It's the smallest room in the house.

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose le meilleur (best, adjective, sits with a noun) or le mieux (best, adverb, sits with a verb).

C'est ami du groupe.
C'est lui qui joue .
Elle a eu livre de la classe.
De tous les livres, c'est celui-ci que j'aime .
C'est café de la ville.
C'est elle qui travaille .
C'est film de l'année.
De toute l'équipe, c'est lui qui joue .

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the superlative in French?

Put a definite article (le, la, les) in front of plus or moins, then the adjective: le plus grand (the biggest), la plus petite (the smallest), les plus chers (the most expensive). The article agrees with the noun in gender and number, and the adjective agrees as well, so both pieces move together. For 'the least', swap plus for moins: le moins intéressant (the least interesting). The same shape works for adverbs, but there the le is frozen: elle court le plus vite (she runs the fastest).

Why does the article appear twice in 'la ville la plus grande'?

Because grand is an adjective that normally follows the noun, and the superlative keeps that position. So you get the noun with its own article (la ville), then the superlative built on a second article (la plus grande): la ville la plus grande (the biggest city). Adjectives that go before the noun, like grand in some fixed senses or petit, don't repeat the article - le plus grand problème (the biggest problem) has just one. The doubling is a feature of post-nominal adjectives, not a mistake.

What is the difference between le meilleur and le mieux?

Le meilleur is the superlative adjective ('the best'), used with nouns and agreeing with them: le meilleur restaurant (the best restaurant), la meilleure idée (the best idea), les meilleurs joueurs (the best players). Le mieux is the superlative adverb ('the best'), used with verbs and frozen in one form: c'est elle qui travaille le mieux (she's the one who works best), c'est lui qui chante le mieux (he sings the best). English uses 'best' for both; French splits them, and the split mirrors the meilleur / mieux comparative pair.