10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation
Steigere wichtige Adverbien im Deutschen wie schnell (schneller, am schnellsten), oft (öfter, am häufigsten), viel (mehr, am meisten) und gern (lieber, am liebsten) für bessere Vergleiche und ausdrückliche Vorlieben.
  1. Formation: many adverbs are intensified like adjectives: -er, am -sten.
  2. to compare something: adverb + than, e.g. öfter als gestern.
Adverb (Adverb)Komparativ (comparative)Superlativ (superlative)
schnellschnelleram schnellsten
oftöfteram häufigsten
vielmehram meisten
gernlieberam liebsten

Exceptions!

  1. Exception: gern, viel, oft are irregular.

Exercise 1: Steigerung von Adverbien

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

oft, lieber, schnell, am liebsten, öfter, viel, am häufigsten, schneller, gern

1.
"Wir kaufen ... ein Souvenir als eine Postkarte.",
(We prefer to buy a souvenir rather than a postcard.)
2.
"Der Tourist geht ... zur Information im Stadtzentrum.",
(The tourist often goes to the information centre in the city centre.)
3.
"Ich lerne ... über die Stadt im Museum.",
(I learn a lot about the city in the museum.)
4.
"Die Gäste orientieren sich ... mit einem Stadtplan.",
(Guests most often find their way using a city map.)
5.
Das Shuttle fährt ..., das Taxi fährt ....
(The shuttle travels fast, the taxi travels faster.)
6.
"Ich besichtige ... die Altstadt in der Stadt.",
(I like to visit the old town in the city.)
7.
"Die Touristen besuchen die Attraktion ....",
(The tourists like to visit the attraction the most.)
8.
"Wir fragen ... nach einer Auskunft an der Rezeption.",
(We ask for information at the reception more often.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct comparative form of the adverb in each sentence. Pay special attention to the irregular forms of gern, oft, and viel!

1.
'Gerne' is the base form. For a comparison, the comparative 'lieber' is needed.
The word 'Busen' is incorrect; in this context, it should be 'Bus'.
2.
The comparative form of 'oft' is 'öfter', not 'ofter'.
The word 'Restarant' is misspelled; the correct form is 'Restaurant'.
3.
'Viel' is not compared with 'vielem', but with 'mehr'.
'Vielmehr' is a different word and is not correct as a comparative in this context.
4.
Double comparison 'gerne am liebsten' is wrong; only the superlative 'am liebsten' is allowed.
Combining the comparative 'lieber' and superlative 'am liebsten' is incorrect.

Understanding the Comparison of German Adverbs

This lesson focuses on how to express different degrees of comparison with German adverbs, an important topic at the A2 language level. You will learn to form the comparative and superlative forms of common adverbs and how to use them correctly in context.

What You Will Learn

  • The general rule for forming comparatives and superlatives with adverbs, similar to adjectives by adding -er for the comparative and am -sten for the superlative.
  • How to compare actions using the structure Adverb + als, for example, öfter als gestern (more often than yesterday).
  • Special attention to irregular adverbs like gern, oft, and viel, which do not follow the usual pattern.
  • Examples of adverbs and their forms:
    AdverbComparativeSuperlative
    schnellschnelleram schnellsten
    oftöfteram häufigsten
    vielmehram meisten
    gernlieberam liebsten

Key Points to Remember

Most adverbs form comparatives and superlatives by simply adding suffixes like adjectives. For example, schnell becomes schneller and am schnellsten. However, irregular adverbs such as gern, which expresses preference, or oft and viel, which indicate frequency and quantity, have unique comparative and superlative forms and must be memorized.

When comparing actions, use the adverb with als, like öfter als gestern (more often than yesterday) to clearly state the comparison.

Differences and Useful Expressions

Unlike English, where many adverbs use more or most before the adverb for comparison (e.g., more quickly, most often), German often changes the ending of the adverb itself or uses completely different words for some irregular forms.

For example:

  • gern → lieber (comparative), am liebsten (superlative); English uses "like" / "prefer" but the forms differ.
  • oft → öfter, am häufigsten; English uses "often" and "more often" or "most often" explicitly.
  • viel → mehr (more), am meisten (most); English also uses "much" / "more" and "most" but German irregular forms must be learned distinctly.

Common useful phrases include:

  • Ich fahre lieber mit dem Zug. (I prefer traveling by train.)
  • Wir treffen uns öfter als früher. (We meet more often than before.)
  • Er arbeitet am schnellsten von allen. (He works the fastest of all.)

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Louis Fernando Hess

Bachelor of Science - Intercultural Business Psychology

Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences

University_Logo

Germany


Last Updated:

Tuesday, 14/10/2025 20:55