Lessons

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

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

What “am …sten / am …esten” means (and when to use it)

am + Superlativ is the form you use when you mean:

  • the most / the best / the least in general or out of a group
  • it typically answers: How? (adverb) or How much?

Typical context words: von allen (of all), in meiner Firma (in my company), bei uns (at our place).

Meaning in English German pattern Example
the best (how?) am + Superlativ Jana spricht am besten Deutsch.
the most (how much?) am + Superlativ Ali arbeitet am meisten.
the most willingly / most of all am + Superlativ Ins Café gehe ich am liebsten.

How to form it: quick build rules

  1. Start with the adjective/adverb (e.g., schnell, langsam).

  2. Add -st (most words): schnellschnellst-

  3. Add the ending -en after am: am schnellsten

  4. If pronunciation would be hard, insert -e-: am …esten

Type Rule Example
Most adjectives am + …sten billig → am billigsten
Ends in -d/-t/-s/-ß/-sch/-z (often needs -e-) am + …esten spät → am spätesten

The key irregular forms in this unit (learn as fixed phrases)

These are frequent and not built with a simple -st rule. Memorize them like vocabulary.

Base word Superlative with am English meaning
gut am besten best
viel am meisten most
gern am liebsten most willingly / most of all
hoch am höchsten highest
alt am ältesten oldest
dumm am dümmsten dumbest
groß am größten biggest / tallest

Common learner mistakes (and how to avoid them)

  • No “double superlative”

    am liebstenstenam liebsten

  • Don’t build irregulars with -st

    am gutstenam besten

  • Watch umlauts in these forms

    am hochstenam höchsten  |  am altestenam ältesten

  • Use the right meaning: “gern” is about preference

    am liebsten = most of all / most willingly (not “best”)

“am + superlative” vs “der/die/das + superlative”: the quick difference

German has two common superlative styles. This unit focuses on am + …sten.

Use case Form Example
How someone does something (adverb) am + …sten Sie erklärt das am besten.
Describing a noun directly der/die/das + …ste Das ist der höchste Turm.

Self-check: choose the right form in 10 seconds

  1. Am I describing how something is done / how much? → use am + …sten

  2. Is it one of these: gut, viel, gern, hoch, alt, dumm, groß? → use the fixed irregular form

  3. Does the word need an extra -e- for pronunciation? → am …esten (e.g., spätam spätesten)

  4. Did I accidentally add “more” + superlative? → remove it: am mehrstenam meisten

Adjektiv (adjective)Superlativ (superlative)
gut (good)am besten (best)
viel (much / a lot)am meisten (most)
gern (gladly)am liebsten (most gladly / most preferably)
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

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1. Bei unserem Spieleabend macht das Brettspiel „Catan" mir ___ Spaß. Bei unserem Spieleabend macht das Brettspiel „Catan" mir am meisten Spaß.

At our game night, the board game “Catan” is ___ fun for me.

2. Ich koche das Abendessen ___, aber du kannst das Geschirr abtrocknen. Ich koche das Abendessen am liebsten, aber du kannst das Geschirr abtrocknen.

I cook dinner ___, but you can dry the dishes.

3. Von allen Gästen hat Lena den Blumenstrauß ___ ausgewählt. Von allen Gästen hat Lena den Blumenstrauß am besten ausgewählt.

Of all the guests, Lena chose the bouquet of flowers ___.

4. Im Haus ist das Regal im Wohnzimmer ___, deshalb passen die Gläser ganz nach oben. Im Haus ist das Regal im Wohnzimmer am höchsten, deshalb passen die Gläser ganz nach oben.

In the house, the shelf in the living room is ___, so the glasses fit right at the top.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences and use the superlative with "am ...sten / am ...esten" (e.g. gut → am besten).

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  1. Von allen Kollegen spricht Jana Deutsch sehr gut.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Jana spricht von allen Kollegen am besten Deutsch.
    (Of all the colleagues, Jana speaks German the best.)
  2. In meiner Klasse arbeitet Ali viel.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ali arbeitet in meiner Klasse am meisten.
    (Ali works the most in my class.)
  3. Ich gehe gern ins Fitnessstudio, aber ins Café gehe ich noch lieber.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ins Café gehe ich am liebsten.
    (I like going to the café the most.)
  4. Dieser Turm ist hoch. Der Turm am Rathaus ist noch höher.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Der Turm am Rathaus ist am höchsten.
    (The tower by the town hall is the tallest.)

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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, 24/06/2026 01:07