superlatives - Breaking the Barrier

Hablando
de gramática
por el señor Conner
WWW.TOBREAK.COM
John Conner is the author of the popular language series Breaking the Spanish Barrier. Each month he will
tackle a grammatical topic of interest to our readers. Have ideas of topics you would like to see covered?
E-mail Señor Conner at [email protected]. You can also visit his website www.tobreak.com.
A New Year is beginning. It’s time to set some goals. Maybe this is the year you
really work hard to improve your Spanish. Try to make your speaking or writing the
BEST they have ever been. In this first lesson of the New Year, in fact, let’s focus on
superlatives to help inspire you.
SUPERLATIVES:
Mark is the fastest; María is the smartest; you are the best!
There are times when you want to say that something is the best or tallest or worst or
slowest in a group. This concept is known grammatically as the superlative.
What is the superlative?
In English, here is how we form the superlative:
(definite article) + (comparative) + (in/of some group)
the
biggest, shortest, etc.
in the family, of the class, etc.
EXAMPLES: • Maria is the tallest in the family.
• June 21 is the longest day of the year.
In Spanish, here is the formula:
artículo definido +
el, la los, las
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comparativo
más/menos + adjetivo
+
(de algún grupo)
de la clase, de la familia, etc.
EXAMPLES: • José es el más alto de la familia. José is the tallest in the family.
• Febrero es el mes más corto del año. February is the shortest month of the year.
• Esos chicos son los más necios de la escuela. Those boys are the most foolish in the
school.
Here are some important things to keep in mind about superlatives:
→ The preposition “de” follows the superlative if you want to mention the group in
which this person stands out.
EXAMPLE: • Angélica es la actriz más talentosa de la clase. Angélica is the most talented actress
in the class.
Beware: English speakers are very used to using the preposition “in” after a superlative:
e.g., the most talented actress in the class. Spanish speakers choose to say the equivalent
of the most talented actress of the class.
→Keep in mind when forming the superlative that some of the comparative forms
are irregular (e.g., the best→ el/la mejor; the worst → el/la peor). The superlative
sentences will reflect that fact.
EXAMPLES: • Muchos creen que los Bulls de Chicago con Michael Jordan fueron el mejor equipo
de baloncesto. Many believe that the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan was the
best basketball team.
• En mi opinión las alcachofas con salsa verde son las peores verduras del menú.
In my opinion the artichokes with green sauce are the worst vegetables on the menu.
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PRUEBAporDE
REPASO
el señor Conner
WWW.TOBREAK.COM
Translate the words in parentheses to complete the following superlative sentences.
1) Marilú es _________ de la clase. (the tallest girl)
2) Mi hermano Jaime es el más bajo _____________. (in the family)
3) In mi opinión “Tao” es ___________________. (the best restaurant in the world)
4) Los exámenes finales en junio son ________________. (the worst of the year)
5) Mi vecina Lucinda es ___________________ del barrio. (the funniest girl)
6) Yo soy ______________________ (the humblest person in the school).
7) Los tigres son _____________________ de la selva. (the most beautiful animals)
ANSWERS:
1) la chica más alta
2) de la familia
3) el mejor restaurante del mundo
4) los peores del año
5) la chica más cómica
6) la persona más humilde de la escuela
7) los animales más hermosos
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