Mastering Comparisons in German: Positiv, Komparativ, and Superlativ

Learning how to compare things is essential for daily conversation. In German, we use adjectives and a few adverbs to show how things are similar or different. There are three main levels of comparison:

1. The Positiv: Showing Equality

When two people or things are the same, we use the Positiv form. In this level, the adjective does not get any special ending.

• The Rule: Use “so + adjective + wie” (as… as).
• Example: Eva ist so groß wie Susanne. (Eva is as tall as Susanne.)
• Another Example: Das Fahrrad ist so schnell wie der Bus.

2. The Komparativ: Showing Difference

If you want to say something is “more” or “-er” than something else, you use the Komparativ.

• The Rule: Add -er to the end of the adjective and use als (than) to connect the comparison.
• Example: Das Auto ist schneller als das Fahrrad.

Important Spelling Changes:

• Adjectives ending in -el or -er: These often drop the “e” before the ending (e.g., dunkel becomes dunkler).
• Umlauts: Many one-syllable adjectives get an umlaut (e.g., jung becomes jünger).
• Irregular Forms: Some words change completely:
  • gut -> besser
  • viel -> mehr
  • gern -> lieber

3. The Superlativ: The Highest Level

The Superlativ shows that something is the “most” or “-est”. There are two ways to form it depending on how you use it in a sentence.

When to use “am + -(e)sten”:

Use this when the adjective comes after a verb (adverbial or predicative).

• Er singt am besten.
• Das Flugzeug ist am schnellsten.

When to use “Article + -ste”:

Use this when the adjective is right before a noun (attributive).

• Er hat das schönste Bild gemalt.

Pro Tip: If an adjective ends in an s-sound (s, ss, ß, z) or d/t, add an extra -e- before the superlativ ending to make it easier to pronounce (e.g., süß -> am süßesten, alt -> am ältesten ).