Adjectives have different degrees: positive, comparative (majority, equality, minority) and superlative (absolute and relative). This lesson will clarify, once and for all, the difference between the different degrees of the adjective, what they are needed for and how to use them!
Comparative and Superlative in Italian
For DEGREE of an adjective we mean the intensity of the quality it conveys. In Italian, there are 3 degrees of an adjective:
- POSITIVE, which indicates only a quality, in a neutral way (Il fiore è rosso → The flower is red)
- COMPARATIVE, which expresses a comparison between two terms with respect to a specific quality (Il fiore rosso è più bello del fiore giallo → The red flower is more beautiful than the yellow one) oppure tra due qualità di uno stesso termine (Il fiore è più bello che profumato → The flower is more beautiful than scented).
- SUPERLATIVE, which expresses a quality at the highest level. (ll fiore rosso è bellissimo → The flower is very beautiful / Il fiore giallo è molto profumato → The flower is very scented).
For further information on the adjectives of positive degree, have a look at our previous lesson!
As for the comparative, it expresses a comparison between two entities (nouns), called “first term of comparison” and “second term of comparison”, with respect to a quality. There are 3 different kinds of comparative:
Comparative of majority
In the comparative of majority, the quality has higher intensity in the first term of comparison. It is formed in this way:
| Before the adjective | Before the 2nd term of comparison | Example |
|
più |
di | Paolo è più alto di Marco.
(Paolo is taller than Marco) |
Comparative of equality
In the comparative of equality, the quality has the same intensity in both the first and the second term of comparison. It is formed in this way:
| Before the adjective | Before the 2nd term of comparison | Examples |
|
così / tanto (optional) |
come / quanto (necessary) | Paolo è alto quanto Marco.
Paolo è così alto come Marco. (Paolo is as tall as Marco) |
Comparative of minority
In the comparative of minority, the quality has lower intensity in the first term of comparison. It is formed in this way:
| Before the adjective | Before the 2nd term of comparison | Example |
|
meno |
di | Paolo è meno alto di Marco.
(Paolo is less tall than Marco) |
BE CAREFUL! If the comparison of majority or minority is not between two nouns (or between a noun and a pronoun) but between two adjectives, two verbs or two adverbs, then the second term of comparison is not introduced by “di”, on the contrary, it is introduced by “che“.
For example:
Il fiore è più bello che profumato (The flower is more beautiful than scented) → comparison between 2 adjectives
Lavorare è meno divertente che giocare (To work is less funny than to play) → comparison between 2 verbs
Leggo più tranquillamente che velocemente (I read more quietly than quickly) → comparison between 2 adverbs
As for the superlative, it expresses a quality at a maximum level and there are 2 kinds.
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In the superlative absolute, the quality is at the highest possible degree, without any comparison.
| How it is formed | Examples |
| 1) With the suffix -issimo/a/i/e
2) By putting molto, assai, decisamente, estremamente… before 3) With prefixes like arci-, super-, iper-, ultra-… 4) By repeating twice the positive adjective | 1) Il fiore è bellissimo
2) Il fiore è molto bello 3) Il fiore è superbello 4) Il fiore è bello bello (The flower is very beautiful) |
Superlative relative
In the superlative relative, the quality is at the highest degree of majority and minority with respect to other things or people.
| How it is formed | Examples |
| – Majority:
il più (adjective) … di / tra / fra (other things or people we’re making a comparison with) – Minoranza: il meno (adjective) … di / tra / fra (other things or people we’re making a comparison with) | Marco è il più alto del gruppo
(Marco is the tallest in the group)
Marco è il meno alto tra gli amici (Marco is the least tall among the friends) |
N.B. Sometimes “di”, “tra”, “fra” can be omitted!
For example:
Hanno scelto solo i giocatori più alti (… tra tutti i giocatori della squadra). → They have chosen only the tallest players (… among all the players of the team)
PARTICULAR FORMS OF COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
The adjectives buono, cattivo, grande, piccolo (good, bad, big, small) have the regular forms of comparative and superlative (più buono, cattivissimo, il più grande…) as well as the irregular ones, which are very common in Italian:
| POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
| Buono | Migliore | Ottimo |
| Cattivo | Peggiore | Pessimo |
| Grande | Maggiore | Massimo |
| Piccolo | Minore | Minimo |
Other adjectives, instead, have only the comparative and the superlative, but they do not have the positive degree. These adjectives are:
| POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
| / | Superiore | Supremo, sommo |
| / | Inferiore | Infimo |
| / | Interiore | Intimo |
| / | Esteriore | Estremo |
These forms, differently from “buono, cattivo, grande e piccolo”, don’t have regular forms! Therefore, saying “più superiore”, “meno esteriore” and so on is a mistake!
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