How to use comparatives and superlatives in Italian?

In Italian, we use comparatives to compare two things, as when we notice one person is taller or faster than someone else, and superlatives to compare one thing to a whole group, as when we notice that you are the tallest or the shortest in a group of friends.

In this post, we’ll introduce comparatives and superlatives of majority, minority, and equality, as well as the relative and absolute superlative, and irregular comparatives and superlatives. Let's see how to do this in Italian!

There are three types of comparatives in Italian: comparatives of majority, comparatives of minority, and comparatives of equality:

• Comparative of majority: X > Y

  Mia sorella è più alta di mio fratello.

  My sister is taller than my brother.

• Comparative of minority: X < Y

  Questo libro è meno interessante di quello.

  This book is less interesting than that one.

• Comparative of equality: X = Y

  Quel gatto è (tanto) fedele quanto un cane.

  That cat is as loyal as a dog.

And there are two types of superlatives in Italian: relative superlatives and absolute superlatives:

• Relative Superlatives (the most… out of…)

  Giorgio è il più alto di tutti.

  Giorgio is the tallest of all.

• Absolute Superlatives (the most… of all)

  Siena è bellissima.

  The city of Siena is the most beautiful.

Now we can go through each of these types of comparatives and superlatives one-by-one!

Comparatives of majority and minority in Italian are formed with the structure più/meno… di/che(more/less... than). For example:

• Mia sorella è più alta di mio fratello.

  My sister is taller (lit. more tall) than my brother.

• Questo libro è meno interessante di quello.

  This book is less interesting than that one.

• Mi diverto meno a cantare che a suonare.

  I have less fun singing than playing (a musical instrument).

The most “classic” type of comparison uses this structure:

But più and meno can be followed by che(than)! So let’s clarify when to use più/meno… di and più/meno… che.

Comparatives of equality in Italian are formed using the structure (tanto)... quanto…(as... as...) and (cosi)... come… (as... as...).

• Quel gatto è (tanto) fedele quanto un cane.

  That cat is as loyal as a dog.

• Questa moto è (così) costosa come la tua.

  This motorbike is as expensive as yours.

Keep the following tips in mind:

• When tanto and quanto are followed by nouns, they always agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine):

  Nella classe c’erano tante ragazze quanti ragazzi.

  There were as many girls in the class as there were boys.

  In this case tante(as many) agrees with ragazze(feminine plural) and quanti(as) agrees with ragazzi(masculine plural).

• These two pairs are usually interchangeable, but you must use (tanto)...quanto when talking about quantities (how much/many):

  Studio (tanto) quanto te ma i miei voti non sono così buoni come i tuoi.

  I study as much as you but my grades are not as good as yours.

In Italian, the relative superlative is used to compare one noun to a group. To form a relative superlative, just follow the rules for forming comparatives of majority or comparatives of minority, but add a definite articleNo definition set for definite articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. before più(more) or meno(less). Compare the following:

However, there is often a simpler way to use relative superlatives.

For example, if I am describing my bug collection, I could say:

But it would be simpler just to say:

In this second sentence, the relative superlative adjective, più bello(pretty) actually describes and agrees with insetto(insect), then we apply this label: l’insetto più bello to the butterfly.

Here are a number of different phrase structures, then, that you can use to form the relative superlative:

• il più /meno + adjective + di…

• il + noun + più /meno + adjective + di / tra / fra…

• il + noun + più /meno + adjective + che + subjunctive

• il più /meno + adjective + tra/fra + … + (di...)

The absolute superlative is used to say that something is the best or the worst there is. Like when you are eating a pizza in Naples and you can only say, "Buonissima!(It's the best!)". No comparison would work here, it’s simply the best!

Let’s see how you can make an “absolute” statement in Italian. There are different ways to express it:

• With -issimo/-issima/-issimi/-issime(very) attached to the adjective after dropping the last vowel. For example:

  amaro → amarissimo

  bitter → the most bitter

  Questo caffè è amarissimo.

  This coffee is the most bitter.

  bella → bellissima

  beautiful → the most beautiful

  Siena è bellissima.

  The city of Siena is the most beautiful.

  Notice that the adjectives agree with the noun they modify: il caffè is masculine singular, and so it is amarissimo.

• By placing molto(very), tanto(so), parecchio(quite a lot), assai(very), and other such adverbs of degree in front of the adjective:

  • Marta e Luisa sono molto alte.

    Marta and Luisa are very tall.

  • Questi libri sono parecchio interessanti.

    These books are quite interesting.

  Tip

  Here, molto, tanto, parecchio, and assai do NOT agree with the subject but the adjectives do!

• By joining the adjective with another one, which will strengthen the meaning:

  Oggi ho lavorato tutto il giorno senza pausa: sono stanca morta!

  I have been working all day with no break, so I am dead tired!

  Check our list of the most used expressions for the absolute superlative in Italian; they will be useful when speaking!

• By adding arci- / stra-(super, so, ultra) at the beginning of the adjective:

  • Sono stracontenta con i risultati.

    I’m super happy with the results.

  • Questa attrice è arcifamosa.

    This actress is so famous.

  Tip

  While you can impress your friends more by adding arci- or stra- to the adjective, remember that it is perfectly fine to use -issimo/a, or molto + adjective to sound like a native!

In Italian, like in English, there are irregular comparatives and superlatives. It’s just like how we don’t say “This cheese is more good than that one” we say “This cheese is better than that one!”

However, in Italian, there are not many of these. Check our complete list of Italian irregular comparatives and superlatives, and get memorizing! It will be a precious resource when practicing with our exercises!

There are several ways of describing what surrounds you. We Italians generally say that our cappuccino is the best; sometimes we walk for hours to enjoy a cappuccino that is the best among those in town. But we shouldn’t sound so “absolute;” we could say that “Bar Centrale’s’ cappuccino is richer than Caffè Imperiale’s cappuccino,”— and remember that comparisons generally express a subjective opinion and encourage comparing different aspects. So, sipping a cappuccino or eating a pizza can become a linguistic experience! Now that we’ve covered comparatives and superlatives, “stay hungry” and keep on learning Italian with us!

To learn more about comparative and superlative adverbs in Italian, follow the link!