Severn Spanish

Superlatives I

 

Introduction

You should review Comparatives I before moving onto superlatives. Superlatives are words that are used to expressed the very best or the very worst. In other words, comparatives say "better" and "worse" while superlatives say "best" and "worst."

 

Best and worst

You have already worked with mejor and peor as adjectives and adverbs expressing "better" and "worse." They can also be used to talk about "best" and "worst," which, as you might guess, is neat but also a bit confusing at first. There are several ways that you can use these two words as superlatives.

 

As adjectives

Using them as adjectives is probably the easiest way to get started. They are preposed (they come before their nouns). Here are a few examples:

la mejor comida (the best food)

el peor libro (the worst book)

las mejores ideas (the best ideas)

las peores bebidas (the worst drinks)

el mejor auto (the best car)

los peores zapatos (the worst shoes)

 

As nouns

This is where things can get a little bit trickier. Mejor and peor can function as nouns, like many other adjectives. There are two ways that this works. The first is when you are using mejor or peor to refer to "the best _____." In other words, you have a specific thing in mind. For instance:

Tengo muchas camisas, y esta camisa es la peor. (I have many shirts, and this shirt is the worst.)

Tú compras muchos libros interesantes, pero ese libro es el mejor. (You buy many interesting books, but that book is the best.)

The definite article is used before mejor or peor to indicate its usage as a noun. However, there is another way to use these two as nouns. When you are speaking generally of "the best (worst) [thing]," as in, "The best is to forget," or "Love is the worst," you need to use lo instead of the normal definite article. Here are some examples in case that seems confusing.

Lo mejor es olvidar. (The best is to forget.)

El amor es lo peor. (Love is the worst.)

Lo peor es perder las llaves. (The worst is losing your keys.)

Pasar tiempo con amigos es lo mejor. (Spending time with friends is the best.)