GCSE German · Words and sentences

Comparatives and superlatives

Größer als, so groß wie, besser and mehr, and am besten and der größte at Higher.

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Comparatives and superlatives, explained point by point

Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.

  1. Add -er for the comparative

    German adds -er to almost every adjective, long or short: klein, kleiner; interessant, interessanter. There is no word for more with an adjective: schneller is faster.

  2. Use als for than and so ... wie for as ... as

    Berlin ist größer als Hamburg. Mein Bruder ist so alt wie ich. Nicht so ... wie is not as ... as: Der Film ist nicht so gut wie das Buch.

  3. Add an umlaut to many short adjectives

    Many one-syllable adjectives take an umlaut: alt, älter; jung, jünger; groß, größer; warm, wärmer; kurz, kürzer.

  4. Learn the irregular comparatives

    gut, besser; viel, mehr; hoch, höher; gern, lieber. Ich spiele lieber Tennis als Fußball.

  5. Give a comparative before a noun an ending

    A comparative before a noun takes the ordinary adjective ending on top: ein größeres Haus, mein älterer Bruder.

  6. Form the superlative two waysHigher only

    After a verb, use am and -sten: Anna läuft am schnellsten, Am liebsten esse ich Eis. Before a noun, add -st and an ending: der schnellste Läufer, das beste Buch, die meisten Leute. Irregulars: am besten, am höchsten, am meisten, der nächste.

Comparatives and superlatives key terms

The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.

Comparative
The form for more: kleiner (smaller), besser (better).
Superlative
The form for most: am kleinsten, der kleinste (the smallest).
als
Than, after a comparative: größer als ich.
so ... wie
As ... as: so groß wie ich.
am + -sten
The superlative after a verb: Er singt am besten.

Common mistakes in Comparatives and superlatives

The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.

  • Using mehr with an adjective, as in mehr interessant.

    Add -er to the adjective, however long it is: interessanter.

  • Using wie or dann for than, as in größer wie Paul.

    After a comparative, than is als: größer als Paul.

  • Forgetting the umlaut, as in alter for older or großer for bigger.

    Many short adjectives take an umlaut in the comparative: älter, größer.

  • Writing gut-er forms like guter als for better.

    Gut is irregular, so better is besser and best is am besten.

Practice

Try a Comparatives and superlatives question

A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.

Which sentence means 'Cats are quieter than dogs'?

  1. Katzen sind ruhiger wie Hunde.
  2. Katzen sind ruhiger als Hunde.
  3. Katzen sind mehr ruhig als Hunde.
  4. Katzen sind so ruhiger als Hunde.
Show the answer and the working

Answer: Katzen sind ruhiger als Hunde.

Ruhig adds -er: ruhiger, and 'than' is als: Katzen sind ruhiger als Hunde.

  1. Quieter is ruhig + -er: ruhiger.
  2. 'Than' after a comparative is als.
  3. Katzen sind ruhiger als Hunde.

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