Personal pronouns (AQA GCSE German): Revision Notes
Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs
Learning how to compare things in German allows you to express more sophisticated opinions and ideas. Whether you're describing which train is faster or explaining your favourite hobbies, comparative and superlative forms help you communicate with greater precision and nuance.
Forming comparative adjectives
Creating comparative adjectives in German follows a straightforward pattern. To express that something is "more" than something else, you simply add -er to the end of the adjective, similar to English.
Basic Formation Rule: adjective + -er
- schnell (fast) → schneller (faster)
- klein (small) → kleiner (smaller)
- neu (new) → neuer (newer)
When using comparatives in sentences, remember that they still need to agree with the noun they describe, taking appropriate endings for case, gender, and number.
Worked Example: Using Comparatives in Context
Step 1: Start with the basic adjective
- Das Auto ist schnell. (The car is fast.)
Step 2: Add -er for comparison
- Der Zug ist schneller. (The train is faster.)
Notice how the comparative form still takes appropriate adjective endings when used before nouns.
Forming superlative adjectives
Superlative adjectives express the highest degree of a quality - when something is "the most" or "-est" of all. In German, you create superlatives by adding -(e)st to the adjective.
Basic Formation Rule: adjective + -(e)st
- schnell (fast) → schnellst- (fastest)
- klein (small) → kleinst- (smallest)
- neu (new) → neuest- (newest)
The choice between -st and -est depends on pronunciation - if adding just -st would be difficult to pronounce, use -est instead.
Worked Example: Superlative in Action
Das Flugzeug ist das schnellste Verkehrsmittel. (The aeroplane is the fastest means of transport.)
Here, "schnellst-" takes the ending "-e" to agree with the neuter noun "Verkehrsmittel".
Irregular comparative and superlative forms
Some of the most commonly used adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms that don't follow the standard pattern. These forms often involve vowel changes and must be memorised.
Critical Grammar Point: The following irregular forms are among the most frequently used in German and must be memorized:
| Basic form | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt | älter | älteste | old - older - oldest |
| jung | jünger | jüngste | young - younger - youngest |
| groß | größer | größte | big - bigger - biggest |
| lang | länger | längste | long - longer - longest |
| hoch | höher | höchste | high - higher - highest |
| gut | besser | beste | good - better - best |
Notice how many irregular forms involve umlaut changes (a→ä, o→ö, u→ü). The adjective "gut" is particularly irregular, becoming "besser" in the comparative - completely different from the base form.
Creating nouns from superlatives
German allows you to turn superlative adjectives into neuter nouns by capitalising them and adding -e. This creates expressions meaning "the best thing" or "the worst thing".
Neuter Noun Formation from Superlatives:
- das Beste (the best thing)
- das Schlechteste (the worst thing)
- das Interessanteste (the most interesting thing)
You can also use adjectives with etwas (something) or nichts (nothing) plus a capital letter and -es ending:
- etwas Interessanteres (something more interesting)
- nichts Besseres (nothing better)
Comparative and superlative adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs in much the same way that adjectives describe nouns. The comparison of adverbs follows very similar patterns to adjectives, helping you describe how actions are performed.
Worked Example: Adverb Comparisons
Step 1: Basic adverb
- Er läuft schnell. (He runs quickly.)
Step 2: Comparative adverb
- Sie läuft schneller. (She runs more quickly.)
Step 3: Superlative adverb using am + adjective + -sten
- Ich laufe am schnellsten. (I run the quickest.)
For superlative adverbs, use am + adjective + -sten:
Another Adverb Example:
- Lea singt gut. (Lea sings well.)
- Joel singt besser als Lea. (Joel sings better than Lea.)
- Mika singt am besten. (Mika sings best.)
Special expressions with gern, lieber, am liebsten
The word "gern" (gladly/like to) has its own comparison pattern that's essential for expressing preferences:
Special Preference Pattern: gern (like to) → lieber (prefer to) → am liebsten (like most of all)
This pattern is completely irregular and must be memorised as a unit.
Worked Example: Expressing Preferences
Step 1: Basic preference
- Ich fahre gern Rad. (I like cycling.)
Step 2: Comparative preference
- Ich schwimme lieber. (I prefer swimming.)
Step 3: Superlative preference
- Am liebsten spiele ich Tennis. (Most of all I like playing tennis.)
Grammar Note: When using am liebsten, it's common to place it at the beginning of the sentence, which means the verb comes second (inverted word order).
Useful comparison phrases
Several key phrases will help you make comparisons naturally:
Essential Comparison Phrases:
- besser als (better than)
- schöner als (more beautiful than)
- so schnell wie möglich (as fast as possible)
For expressing "best of all" or "fastest of all," use am followed by the superlative adjective with -en ending:
- Mein Auto fährt am schnellsten. (My car goes the fastest of all.)
Key vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| schnell | fast |
| schneller | faster |
| am schnellsten | fastest (of all) |
| besser als | better than |
| schöner als | more beautiful than |
| so... wie möglich | as... as possible |
| das Beste | the best thing |
| am liebsten | most of all |
| vergleichen | to compare |
| der Vergleich | comparison |
Translation practice
Practice Exercises
German to English:
- Mein Bruder ist älter als ich.
- Das ist das interessanteste Buch, das ich je gelesen habe.
English to German: 3. She runs faster than her sister. 4. I like playing football most of all.
Answers:
- My brother is older than me.
- That's the most interesting book I've ever read.
- Sie läuft schneller als ihre Schwester.
- Am liebsten spiele ich Fußball.
Key Points to Remember:
- Comparative adjectives add -er (schnell → schneller)
- Superlative adjectives add -(e)st (schnell → schnellst-)
- Many common adjectives have irregular forms that must be memorised (gut → besser → beste)
- Use am + superlative + -en for adverbs (am schnellsten)
- The gern → lieber → am liebsten pattern is essential for expressing preferences
- Umlaut changes (a→ä, o→ö, u→ü) are common in irregular comparative forms