The Superlative in French
The superlative is used to express the highest or lowest degree of something. In French, just like in English, you can say things like the most beautiful, the least interesting, or the fastest.
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In this article, you'll learn how to form the superlative in French, how to use it with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, and how to avoid common mistakes. C'est parti !(Let's go!)
Questions This Article Answers
How do you form the superlative in French?
What's the difference between superlative adjectives and adverbs?
How do you use the superlative with nouns in French?
How do you say things like the best and the worst in French?
How to Form the Superlative
In French, the superlative is formed using a definite article, followed by the superlative adverb plus(most) or moins(least), in turn followed by an adjective, an adverb, or a noun. Let's start with how to use the superlative with adjectives!
The Superlative with Adjectives
Adjectives can be used in the superlative to compare things or people and say that something or someone has the highest or lowest degree of the quality conveyed by the adjective. For example, you can say that, of all your brothers, Paul is the tallest: Paul has the highest degree of the quality of "being tall."
Here's how to form the superlative with adjectives in French:
When you want to use the superlative with an adjective, the definite article le, la, or les must agree in gender and number with the noun that the adjective modifies. For example, you can say:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le garçon le plus grand | the tallest boy |
| la fille la plus intelligente | the most intelligent girl |
| les étudiants les plus avancés | the most advanced students |
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The Superlative with Postpositive and Prenominal Adjectives
Most French adjectives come after the noun they modify: they're called postpositive adjectives. When you want to use the superlative with a postpositive adjective, the definite article is repeated. For example:
However, some common adjectives come before the noun in French: they're called prenominal adjectives. These are adjectives such as beau(beautiful, handsome), grand(big), jeune(young), petit(small), etc. When an adjective appears before the noun, the definite article is not repeated in the superlative. Instead, the whole superlative block comes directly before the noun:
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You may encounter prenominal adjectives that come after the noun when used in the superlative, especially if something else comes after and modifies the noun. In that case, the word order is flexible. You can see that this is the case for the prenominal adjective belle(beautiful).
Irregular Adjectives in the Superlative
The adjectives bon(good) and mauvais(bad) have irregular superlative forms you'll want to memorize:
Irregular Superlative Forms of Bon
Irregular Superlative Forms of Mauvais
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The Superlative with Adverbs
Adverbs can be used in the superlative to compare verbs (actions) and say that something or someone is performing an action to the highest or lowest degree. For example, you can say that, of all your brothers, Paul runs the fastest: Paul performs the action of running fast to the highest degree.
Here's how to form the superlative with adverbs in French:
When you want to use the superlative with an adverb, the definite article will always be the masculine singular form le. Do not try to match the gender and number of the subject, for example. Even if the subject is feminine plural, you'll use le. That's because the adverb modifies the verb, which is neither masculine nor feminine, and is neither singular nor plural. Verbs, unlike nouns, don't have gender or number of their own. You'll use the masculine singular le as the default form. For example, you can say:
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The Superlative with Nouns
Nouns can be used in the superlative to compare quantities and say that someone or something has the most or the least of something. For example, you can have the most books, the least experience, or the most time.
Here's how to form the superlative with nouns in French:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le plus de temps | the most time |
| le plus de patience | the most patience |
| le plus de devoirs | the most homework |
| le moins d'argent | the least money |
| le moins d’erreurs | the fewest mistakes |
When you want to use the superlative with a noun, the definite article will always be the masculine singular form le. Do not try to match the gender and number of the noun, for example. Even if the noun is feminine plural, you'll use le. For example, you can say:
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Specifying the Group: De vs. Dans
In English, if you want to specify the group or category that someone or something is being compared to, you'll use the preposition in. For example: Gabriel is the tallest in the class or This building is the tallest in the world. In French, use de(of) and never dans(in)! Remember that the preposition de merges with le to form du and with les to form des.
If the group is the entire world, le monde(the world), the preposition au(in the) can be used instead.
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Learn more about French grammar by reading these articles!
