Superlatives with ÍSIMO in Spanish – Learn and Practice

Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on Spanish superlatives with -ísimo (and other similar endings).

In Spanish, we can use certain endings to express an adjective to an extreme degree, making it a superlative adjective.

For example, look at this transformation:

  • grande = big
  • grandísimo = very very big, extremely big
A Spanish sentence with "grandísimo"
A sentence with “grandísimo”

Most adjectives form their superlative by adding -ísimo, but some of them add slightly different endings.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form these superlatives and use them in sentences.

You will also find a Quiz and an Exercise to practice.

Endings for superlatives

-ísimo

Most adjectives form their superlative by adding -ísimo.

  • If the adjective ends in a consonant, simply add -ísimo at the end. Pay attention to possible consonant transformations, such as z becoming c :

Base FormSuperlative
débil

weak

debilísimo
fácil

easy

facilísimo
difícil

difficult

dificilísimo
feliz

happy

felicísimo


  • If the adjective ends in a vowel, first remove that vowel, then add -ísimo. Again, pay attention to possible consonant transformations:

Base FormSuperlative
barato

cheap

baratísimo
caro

expensive

carísimo
grande

big

grandísimo
guapo

handsome

guapísimo
viejo

old

viejísimo
blanco

white

blanquísimo
largo

long

larguísimo
fresco

fresh

fresquísimo
rico

rich/tasty

riquísimo


-císimo

Adjectives whose masculine singular form ends in -n or -or, usually form their superlative by adding -císimo:

Base FormSuperlative
joven

young

jovencísimo
mayor

old

mayorcísimo
hablador

talkative

habladorcísimo
inferior

inferior

inferiorcísimo
superior

superior

superiorcísimo


-bilísimo

Adjectives ending in -ble form their superlative by replacing -ble for -bilísimo:

Base FormSuperlative
amable

nice

amabilísimo
agradable

nice

agradabilísimo
notable

prominent

notabilísimo
rentable

profitable

rentabilísimo
miserable

miserable

miserabilísimo
estable

stable

estabilísimo
probable

probable, likely

probabilísimo


-érrimo

Some adjectives whose last syllable contains the letter r, add the ending -érrimo in the following way:

Base FormSuperlative
libre

free

libérrimo
célebre

famous

celebérrimo
acre

bitter

acérrimo
salubre

healthy

salubérrimo

Superlatives with an irregular stem

Some adjectives have a change in the stem when they form the superlative, apart from adding an ending.

Examples:

Base FormSuperlative
fuerte

strong

fortísimo
sabio

wise

sapientísimo
antiguo

old

antiquísimo
fiel

loyal

fidelísimo
ardiente

ardent

ardentísimo
caliente

hot

calentísimo
pobre

poor

paupérrimo

Accent marks

All superlatives have an accent mark on the ending.

If the original adjective already had an accent mark, it loses it in the superlative form.

For example, “fácil” becomes “facilísimo“, losing its original accent mark.

Feminine and plural forms

When we use a superlative adjective in a sentence, we need to match its gender and number to the noun it is connected with.

For example, the superlative of “grande” is “grandísimo“. But when we use it in sentences, we must match the gender and number of the noun, resulting in 4 possible forms:

masculine singulargrandísimo
feminine singulargrandísima
masculine pluralgrandísimos
feminine pluralgrandísimas

Example Sentences

The following sentences include superlatives. Notice how they match the gender and number of the noun:

El coche es carísimo.
The car is extremely expensive.

Mi perra es grandísima.
My female dog is extremely big.

Los estudiantes son amabilísimos.
The students are extremely nice.

Las chicas son celebérrimas.
The girls are extremely famous.

Practice

Quiz

Take this short Quiz about superlatives:


Exercise

Fill the gaps with the superlatives of the adjectives in brackets. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) Tengo una bicicleta buenísima . (bueno)
I have a very very good bike.

2) Mis padres son riquísimos . (rico)
My parents are super rich.

3) Ellos tienen un coche grandísimo y carísimo . (grande, caro)
They have an extremely big and expensive car.

4) Clara es jovencísima . (joven)
Clara is super young.

5) Tu amiga es amabilísima . (amable)
Your friend is extremely nice. (female friend)

6) El panadero hace dulces sabrosísimos . (sabroso)
The baker makes super tasty sweets.

Another type of superlative: with “más” and “menos”

There is another grammar construction in Spanish we also call superlative. It is when we express that something is “the most ___” or “the least ___”.

We explain that in a separate lesson: Spanish superlatives with “más” and “menos”

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