Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 15

CEFR A2-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (24 questions)

Spanish Superlatives: el mejor, el más and -ísimo

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

A superlative picks out the top or the bottom of a group. Spanish uses the article, then (most) or (least), then the adjective, and where English says in:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the word that completes each superlative.

  1. Es el café de la ciudad. (the best)

  2. Es la casa más grande la calle. (in the street)

  3. Mi hermano tiene veinte años. (older)

más, mostmenos, leastde, in the groupthe part that changesWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - My brother is the tallest in the family.
  • . - It's the least quiet street in the city.

Superlatives at a glance

PatternSpanishEnglish
+ + adj. the most expensive house in the street
+ + adj. the least expensive of all
the best coffee in the city
the worst day of my life
mayor the eldest of the three
the youngest in the family
adj. + -ísimocarísimoextremely expensive

The last row compares with nothing: it just means extremely. On the AQA GCSE the superlative is Higher tier and -ísimo is Foundation and Higher.

The pattern: el más ... de

The article comes first, then the noun, then or and the adjective. The article and the adjective both agree with the noun:

NounSpanishEnglish
masc. singular the most expensive car
fem. singular the most expensive house
masc. plural the most expensive cars
fem. plural the least expensive houses

When everyone knows what you are talking about, drop the noun and keep the article:

  • , . - Of them all, this one is the cheapest.
  • Ana . - Ana is the tallest.
The same smiling golden dog drawn three times side by side on the grass: a tiny one, a normal-sized one and a huge one that fills half the picture.

El perro más pequeño is the smallest dog; el perro más grande is the biggest. The middle dog is neither.

"In" is de

English ranks things in a place or group. Spanish uses (or for + ):

  • - the best coffee in the city
  • - the coldest day of the year
  • - the best in the world

Two things are not the group, so they do not take . A skill takes , and a clause takes :

  • . - He's the best at maths.
  • . - It's the best book I' read.

Mejor, peor, mayor, menor

Four adjectives skip and use their own word, with the article in front:

AdjectiveExampleEnglish
the best day of the year
the worst film
(age) my older brother
(age) the youngest of the three

They do not change for gender, only for number:

  • - the best days of the year
  • - my younger brothers

and usually sit before the noun ( , the best coffee); mayor and , for age, after it ( , my older sister).

With people, mayor and are about age. For physical size, use the regular pattern:

You meanSpanishEnglish
age .He's the eldest.
size .It's the biggest building.
kindness .He's the kindest of all.

is not wrong, but it means the kindest person, not the best. For quality it is always .

With an abstract noun, mayor can also mean greatest: - the biggest problem.

-ísimo: the absolute superlative

más, mostde, in the groupthe part that changesWhat do the colours mean?

-ísimo compares with nothing. It just turns the adjective up to extremely:

GoodExtremely good
  1. bueno
  2. muy bueno
  3. buenísimo

Drop the final vowel and add -ísimo:

caro becomes carísimo: extremely expensive
Adjective-ísimoEnglish
carísimoextremely expensive
buenísimoreally good
grandísimohuge
a huge amount
facilísimodead easy

The adjective's own accent goes, because -ísimo takes the stress: becomes facilísimo. The ending agrees like any adjective:

  • carísima. - This house is extremely expensive.
  • buenísimos. - The books are really good.

Since -ísimo already means very, never put in front of it: carísimo, not carísimo.

Spelling changes before -ísimo

A few endings change their spelling to keep the sound:

EndingAdjective-ísimo
-co: c → quriquísimo
-go: g → gularguísimo
-z: z → cfelicísimo
-bleamabilísimo

Before i, a plain c would sound like th or s and a plain g like the ch in loch, so qu and gu keep the hard sound. Spanish writes c, not z, before i. The -ble adjectives go back to an older -bil stem:

  • riquísima. - The food is delicious.
  • larguísimo. - It's an extremely long road.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
the group normally takes
best in quality is
adds - in the plural
the adjective agrees
carísimocarísimo-ísimo already means very
ricísimoriquísimoc becomes qu before i
felizísimofelicísimoz becomes c before i

What to do next

  1. Say three things about your town with ... .
  2. Do the word-order and spot-the-mistake drills below.
  3. The comparatives page has ... and ... , which the superlative builds on.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the word that completes each superlative.

  1. Es el café de la ciudad. (the best)

  2. Es la casa más grande la calle. (in the street)

  3. Mi hermano tiene veinte años. (older)

  4. Es el edificio más de la ciudad. (biggest, in size)

  5. Es la de las tres hermanas. (the youngest)

  6. Fue el día de mi vida. (the worst)

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order to make the superlative.

  1. The best coffee in the city.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. The tallest girl in the class.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. The least expensive house in the street.

    Your sentence is empty.

Build the word

0/4

Build the -ísimo form from its pieces.

  1. la casa: caro, extremely

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. rico, extremely

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. feliz, extremely

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. los libros: bueno, extremely

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/7

Does the spelling change before -ísimo?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form the superlative in Spanish?
Use the definite article, then the noun if there is one, then (most) or (least), then the adjective: (the most expensive house), (the least expensive book). The article and the adjective agree with the noun. Without a noun the article does the work: (this one is the cheapest).
How do you say 'in' after a superlative in Spanish?
With , not : (the best coffee in the city), (the coldest day of the year). names the group being ranked. stays for 'at' a skill: (he's the best at maths).
What are the irregular superlatives in Spanish?
Four adjectives have their own form: gives (the best), gives (the worst), gives (the oldest) and gives (the youngest). With people, mayor and are about age; for physical size Spanish says and . All four add -es in the plural: .
Is it or ?
For quality, : (it's the best restaurant in the city). does exist, but it means the kindest person: (he's the kindest of them all). The same goes for : the worst is .
What does -ísimo mean in Spanish?
It means extremely, and it compares the thing with nothing else: (expensive) becomes carísimo (extremely expensive), becomes buenísimo (really good). Drop the final vowel and add -ísimo, which agrees like any adjective: carísima. Some spellings change to keep the sound: gives riquísimo, gives felicísimo.