Comparison of Adjectives in German

Adjectives in German can be compared to express different degrees of intensity: the positive (Positiv), the comparative (Komparativ), and the superlative (Superlativ). The positive is the basic form of the adjective. The comparative is used to compare two things, while the superlative indicates the highest degree among three or more entities.

To form the comparative, the suffix -er is added to the positive form (e.g., schnell becomes schneller). For the superlative, the phrase am followed by the adjective with the suffix -sten is used (e.g., am schnellsten), or the adjective is preceded by a definite article and takes the ending -ste (e.g., der schnellste Weg). Many one-syllable adjectives with the stem vowels a, o, or u receive an umlaut in both the comparative and superlative forms (e.g., alt becomes älter and am ältesten).

A common mistake is using the comparative particle wie instead of als when comparing unequal things; in German, wie is only used for equal comparisons with so (e.g., so groß wie), while als must accompany the comparative (e.g., größer als). Another error is forgetting that when a comparative or superlative adjective is placed directly before a noun, it must also take the regular adjective declension endings after the comparative suffix (e.g., ein schnellerer Wagen).