Superlatives

A superlative identifies the highest or lowest degree within a group. English uses forms such as the tallest, the least expensive, and the fastest.

French commonly forms superlatives with le plus, la plus, les plus, or le moins, depending on what the expression describes.

Superlatives with le plus and le moins

Plus expresses a higher degree and moins expresses a lower degree. A definite article turns the comparison into a superlative.

With an adjective, the basic pattern is:

definite article + plus or moins + adjective

The article agrees with the noun when the superlative describes a noun:

Other superlative structures use le plus and le moins without changing le for gender or number.

Adjective superlatives

An adjective superlative identifies the person or thing with the highest or lowest degree of a quality. The adjective continues to agree with the noun it describes.

The position of the adjective affects the structure of the noun phrase:

An adjective that normally comes before the noun keeps that position, as in le plus grand bâtiment. An adjective that normally follows the noun usually keeps that position, with the superlative article immediately before it, as in la voiture la plus rapide.

Adverb superlatives

An adverb superlative compares how an action happens. The form le plus or le moins comes before the adverb.

The article stays le because the superlative modifies an adverb rather than a noun:

le plus or le moins + adverb

These forms compare the manner, time, or frequency of different actions:

The adverb itself does not change for gender or number.

Verb and action superlatives

A superlative can compare how much different people perform an action. In this structure, le plus or le moins follows the verb.

The basic pattern is:

verb + le plus or le moins

The superlative measures the action rather than a particular adjective or adverb:

The form le stays unchanged because it belongs to the superlative expression rather than agreeing with the subject.

Noun and quantity superlatives

A superlative can identify the greatest or smallest quantity of a noun. French uses de before the noun in this structure.

The basic patterns are:

le plus de + noun

le moins de + noun

These forms compare amounts or numbers:

The quantity expression remains le plus de or le moins de regardless of the gender or number of the noun.

Comparison groups

A superlative usually compares one person, thing, quantity, or action with a larger group. French often introduces that group with de.

The comparison group identifies the set within which something ranks highest or lowest:

French also uses de tous, de toutes, or parmi when the group needs to be stated more explicitly:

Comparatives commonly introduce the second term with que, while superlatives usually identify a larger comparison group with de or parmi.

Irregular superlatives

Some frequent adjectives and adverbs use irregular forms instead of a regular construction with plus.

Bon becomes meilleur when it describes a noun. The adjective agrees with that noun:

Bien becomes mieux. As an adverb, mieux does not change form:

Pire can express the superlative of mauvais. French also uses le plus mauvais in many contexts:

Moindre can express the lowest degree of petit in abstract meanings. Physical size normally takes le plus petit:

From learning to practice

Superlatives often appear in recommendations, reviews, travel descriptions, rankings, and conversations about preferences. Listen for expressions such as le meilleur, le plus, and le moins when people compare restaurants, places, prices, activities, or experiences.