The superlative: irregular adjectives „am besten", „am häufigsten"

Der Superlativ: unregelmäßige Adjektive „am besten", „am häufigsten"


Die meisten Adjetive werden regelmäßig gesteigert, jedoch gibt es einige die entweder komplett unregelmäßig gebildet werden oder nur einen Stammwechsel haben.

(Most adjectives form the comparative and superlative regularly, but there are some that are either formed completely irregularly or only have a stem change.)

When to use am …sten vs der/die/das …ste

German has two common superlative patterns. Choose based on what you are describing.

  • am …sten = describes how an action is done (adverb) or a general preference.
  • der/die/das …ste = describes a noun (a person/thing) inside a group.
What you mean Typical German form Example
“He cooks best.” (how he cooks) am + Superlativ Er kocht am besten.
“He is the best cook.” (a person/thing) der + Adjektiv-ste (+ noun) Er ist der beste Koch.
“This house is the tallest.” (a thing) das + Adjektiv-ste Das Haus ist das höchste.

How to form the superlative (the practical pattern)

  1. Action / manner: am + adjective + -sten / -esten
    • schnell → am schnellsten
    • laut → am lautesten
  2. Noun: der/die/das + adjective + -ste (with adjective ending)
    • der schnellste Zug
    • die lauteste Musik

Shortcut: If you can insert “How?” → use am …sten. If you can insert “Which one?” → use der/die/das …ste.

Spelling & sound: when you need -esten

You often add an extra -e- to make it pronounceable.

  • After -d / -t / -s / -ß / -sch / -z:
    • alt → am altesten
    • heiß → am heißesten
    • laut → am lautesten

Self-check: If am …sten feels hard to say, German usually inserts -e-: …esten.

The key irregular forms in your table (learn as fixed phrases)

Base Superlative with am Typical meaning
gut am besten best
viel am meisten most (amount)
gern am liebsten most gladly / prefer most
hoch am höchsten highest
alt am ältesten oldest
dumm am dümmsten stupidest
groß am größten biggest / tallest (people)

Pay attention: these are not built with “gutest” or “mehrst”. They are irregular.

gern is special: it describes the person’s preference

  • You use gern with a verb (an activity): ich esse gern, ich spiele gern.
  • So the superlative also belongs to the activity: am liebsten.
Correct focus Example
Preference about an action Beim Spieleabend esse ich am liebsten Pizza.
Describing the noun “pizza” itself Pizza ist die beliebteste Speise beim Spieleabend.

Avoid: Pizza ist am liebsten. (The grammar focus is wrong: am liebsten needs an action/person.)

Most common pitfalls (and how to fix them)

  • Double superlatives:
    • am bestenstenam besten
    • am mehrstenam meisten
  • Mixing patterns:
    • Er kocht der beste.Er kocht am besten.
    • Er ist am besten Koch.Er ist der beste Koch.
  • Using “more” instead of the German superlative:
    • am mehram meisten

Fast self-check before you speak

  1. Am I describing an action (how often / how well / how much)? → am …sten
  2. Am I describing a person/thing in a group? → der/die/das …ste
  3. Is the adjective in the irregular list (gut, viel, gern, hoch, alt, dumm, groß)? → use the fixed form
Adjektiv (adjective)Superlativ (superlative)
gut (good)am besten (best)
viel (a lot / much)am meisten (most)
gern (gladly / like to)am liebsten (most gladly / like best)
hoch (high)am höchsten (highest)
alt (old)am ältesten (oldest)
dumm (stupid)am dümmsten (stupidest)
groß (big / tall)am größten (biggest / tallest)

 

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Bei Spieleabenden sind Brettspiele ____, aber ich spiele auch gern Karten.

On game nights, board games are ____, but I also like playing cards.

2. Wenn wir Gäste haben, räume ich nach dem Essen ____ die Küche auf.

When we have guests, after the meal I tidy up the kitchen ____.

3. Von allen Gästen hat Laura ____ Geschirr mitgebracht, das war wirklich praktisch.

Of all the guests, Laura brought ____ dishes, which was really practical.

4. Von allen im Team kocht Mehmet ____, deshalb bringt er oft das Abendessen fürs Treffen mit.

Of everyone on the team, Mehmet cooks ____, which is why he often brings dinner for the meeting.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct phrase.

1.
Wrong: double superlative; only “best” is correct.
Wrong: “good” is not compared regularly; the correct form is “best”.
2.
Wrong: “most gladly / best” refers to a person/action (we eat), not directly to the subject ‘pizza’.
Wrong: The superlative of “gladly” is “most gladly / best of all,” not “most gladly-est”.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using the superlative in the construction “am …sten / am …esten” or with the appropriate definite article when necessary (e.g. gut → am besten).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Von allen Kolleginnen kann Mia Deutsch gut sprechen.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Von allen Kolleginnen kann Mia Deutsch am besten sprechen.
    (Of all my colleagues, Mia speaks German best.)
  2. In unserem Team arbeitet Karim viel.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    In unserem Team arbeitet Karim am meisten.
    (In our team, Karim works the most.)
  3. Von allen Gerichten im Restaurant esse ich Pizza gern.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Von allen Gerichten im Restaurant esse ich Pizza am liebsten.
    (Of all the dishes in the restaurant, I like pizza best.)
  4. In unserer Straße ist das Haus von Familie Klein hoch.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    In unserer Straße ist das Haus von Familie Klein am höchsten.
    (On our street, the Klein family's house is the tallest.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Plan the visit together and decide what suits best.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Du besuchst Freunde zum Abendessen und bleibst ein paar Stunden als Gast.
(You are visiting friends for dinner and staying for a few hours as a guest.)

Discuss
  • Was bringt ihr als Geschenk mit und was kommt am besten an? (What gift are you bringing, and what is best received?)
  • Wie organisiert ihr das Abendessen — wer kocht und wer räumt auf? (Geschirr) (How do you organize the dinner — who cooks and who cleans up? (dishes))

Useful words and phrases
  • Ich komme am liebsten mit einem Blumenstrauß vorbei. (I prefer to drop by with a bouquet of flowers.)
  • Was macht am meisten Spaß: Karten spielen oder ein Brettspiel? (What is the most fun: playing cards or a board game?)
  • Wir räumen am besten zuerst das Geschirr weg. (The best thing is to put the dishes away first.)

Use in conversation
  • am besten (best)
  • am liebsten (preferably)
  • am meisten (most)

Written by

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

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Louis Fernando Hess

Bachelor of Science - Intercultural Business Psychology

Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences

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Germany


Last Updated:

Wednesday, 15/04/2026 22:22