In this topic, we will learn how to make comparative and superlative of adjectives/adverbs in German language. It is pretty simple, with just a couple of exceptions.

There is a list of adjectives/adverbs that are completely irregular, so I will list them below. Now, we will consider the ones that are regular.

For comparative, it is easy, we just add -er to the end of the word.

klein ------> kleiner small/smaller

laut -------> lauter loud/louder

1. there is just a special case where we have adjectives that have only one syllable - in them there is a change: vocals are changed to their umlauts

groß -----> größer big/bigger

alt ------> älter old/older

For superlative, it is also pretty simple. We add -st or -est depending on how it is easier and more normal for pronunciation. Then, we add also -e/-er/-en/-es depending on the gender and case of the noun that adjective refers to.

1. when we have an adjective/adverb ending in letter T, then we always add -est

klein -----> kleinsten

laut ------> lautesten

1. adverbs always use option -(e)sten, because they don't have a noun next to them to match with

We can also use superlative form with word am in front: am kleinsten, am lautesten. I will share examples, so you can see when we use superlative with am and when without:

Ich bin am kleinsten. ------> I am the smallest.

Ich bin der kleinste Junge. ------> I am the smallest boy.

We see that we use am when we don't have a noun that an adjective is standing next to.

Now, as I mentioned in the beginning, here are irregular adjectives/adverbs and their comparation:

gut -----> besser -----> am besten good/better/the best

gern ----> lieber ------> am liebsten gladly/more gladly (rather, preferably)/most gladly (favorite option)

viel -----> mehr ------> am meisten much/more/the most