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Learn the Italian superlativo relativo using expressions like "il più" (the most) and "il meno" (the least) to describe qualities, such as "il più generoso" (the most generous) and "la meno timida" (the least shy). This lesson helps you compare people within groups effectively.
  1. We use the relative superlative to compare a person with a group.
Grado (Degree)Masculino (Masculine)Femenino (Feminine)
Superlativo di maggioranza (Superlative of majority)Singolare: Il più Il più generoso (The most generous)Singolare: La più La più generosa (The most generous)
Plurale: I più I più generosi (The most generous)Plurale: Le più Le più generose (The most generous)
Superlativo di minoranza (Superlative of minority)Singolare: Il meno Il meno timido (The least shy)Singolare: La meno La meno timida (The least shy)
Plurale: I menoI meno timidi (The least shy)Plurale: Le meno Le meno timide (The least shy (feminine plural))

Exercise 1: Il superlativo relativo: il più, il meno, i più, ...

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

il più intelligente, il più pigro, la più bugiarda, la più generosa, il più goffo, la più timida, la meno stressata, il meno socievole

1.
Luca sembra ... di tutti.
(Luca seems the most awkward of all.)
2.
Era ... di tutte.
(She was the most liar of all.)
3.
Pietro è ... della famiglia.
(Pietro is the least sociable member of the family.)
4.
Giulia è ... della classe.
(Giulia is the shyest in the class.)
5.
Lucia sembra ... del gruppo.
(Lucia seems to be the most generous in the group.)
6.
Chiara è ... in ufficio.
(Chiara is the least stressed in the office.)
7.
Mio fratello è ... che conosco.
(My brother is the laziest person I know.)
8.
Sei ... tra gli studenti.
(You are the smartest among the students.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Marco è ___ del gruppo.

(Marco is ___ in the group.)

2. Maria è ___ della squadra.

(Maria is ___ in the team.)

3. I ragazzi ___ sono Luca e Paolo.

(The boys ___ are Luca and Paolo.)

4. Francesca è ___ della classe.

(Francesca is ___ in the class.)

5. Gli studenti ___ arrivano sempre in ritardo.

(The students ___ always arrive late.)

6. Anna e Giulia sono ___ della festa.

(Anna and Giulia are ___ at the party.)

The Relative Superlative in Italian

This lesson introduces the relative superlative in Italian, which is used to compare one person or thing within a group, expressing the highest or lowest degree of a quality.

Forming the Relative Superlative

The relative superlative is formed by combining the definite article with più (meaning "more") or meno (meaning "less"), followed by an adjective. The definite article and adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Key Examples

  • Masculine singular: Il più generoso (The most generous)
  • Feminine singular: La più generosa (The most generous)
  • Masculine plural: I più generosi (The most generous)
  • Feminine plural: Le più generose (The most generous)
  • Masculine singular, least: Il meno timido (The least shy)
  • Feminine singular, least: La meno timida (The least shy)
  • Masculine plural, least: I meno timidi (The least shy)
  • Feminine plural, least: Le meno timide (The least shy)

When to Use the Relative Superlative

Use the relative superlative to express that someone or something has the highest or lowest degree of a characteristic within a specific group.

Example: Marco è il più timido del gruppo. (Marco is the shyest in the group.)

Gender and Number Agreement

Note that the definite article (il, la, i, le) must agree with the gender and number of the noun, as must the adjective:

  • Singular masculine uses il
  • Singular feminine uses la
  • Plural masculine uses i
  • Plural feminine uses le

Useful Expressions

  • Il più simpatico/la più simpatica — The nicest
  • Il meno paziente/la meno paziente — The least patient
  • I più gentili/le più gentili — The kindest (plural)
  • I meno puntuali/le meno puntuali — The least punctual (plural)

Instruction Language vs. Italian

Since English is the instruction language and Italian is the language being learned, this guide highlights key Italian grammar points in English with Italian examples. Italian uses gendered articles and adjective agreement, which differ from English where articles and most adjectives are gender-neutral. For example, "the most generous" changes to il più generoso for masculine singular and la più generosa for feminine singular in Italian.

Some useful translations:

  • Monday: Il lunedì
  • Friend: L'amico (masculine), L'amica (feminine)
  • Big: Grande (same for masculine and feminine)

Written by

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

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 14:49