Comparing with Adverbs
To compare how actions are done, German uses comparative and superlative forms of adverbs — just like in English (fast → faster → fastest).
Forming Comparatives
Add -er to the base adverb:
| Base | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| schnell | schneller | faster |
| langsam | langsamer | more slowly |
| laut | lauter | louder |
| leise | leiser | more quietly |
| früh | früher | earlier |
Er läuft schneller als ich. (He runs faster than me.)
Use als for "than" in comparisons.
Forming Superlatives
Adverb superlatives use the fixed phrase am …-sten:
| Base | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| schnell | am schnellsten | the fastest |
| langsam | am langsamsten | the most slowly |
| laut | am lautesten | the loudest |
| früh | am frühesten | the earliest |
Sie singt am lautesten in der Klasse. (She sings the loudest in the class.)
Adverbs with one syllable ending in -d, -t, -s, -z, -ß add -esten instead of -sten for ease of pronunciation: laut → am lautesten; kurz → am kürzesten.
Irregular Adverbs
Some very common adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms:
| Base | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| gut | besser | am besten | well / better / best |
| viel | mehr | am meisten | much / more / most |
| gern | lieber | am liebsten | gladly / preferably / most of all |
| bald | eher | am ehesten | soon / sooner / soonest |
Using irregular comparatives
- Ich spiele lieber Fußball als Tennis. (I prefer playing football to tennis.)
- Sie kocht am besten in der Familie. (She cooks the best in the family.)
- Heute lerne ich mehr als gestern. (Today I'm learning more than yesterday.)
so … wie — as … as
To say two things are equal, use so + base adverb + wie:
Er rennt so schnell wie sein Bruder. (He runs as fast as his brother.)
Real world: product comparisons and reviews
German consumer reviews use comparative adverbs: „Das neue Modell lädt schneller als das alte." (The new model charges faster than the old one.) „Dieses Restaurant kocht besser als das nebenan." (This restaurant cooks better than the one next door.) „Sie erklärt klarer als ihr Kollege." (She explains more clearly than her colleague.) — everyday comparison language.
Real world: sports commentary and competition
Sports commentary is full of comparative and superlative adverbs: „Er läuft am schnellsten von allen." (He runs the fastest of all.) „Sie schwimmt heute besser als gestern." (She swims better today than yesterday.) „Das Team spielt am besten unter Druck." (The team plays best under pressure.) — natural adverb comparisons heard on German sports broadcasts.
Real world: expressing preferences with lieber and am liebsten
The irregular forms lieber and am liebsten express preferences constantly: „Ich esse lieber Pizza als Pasta." (I prefer pizza to pasta.) „Am liebsten esse ich Sushi." (What I like eating most is sushi.) „Lernst du lieber abends?" (Do you prefer studying in the evenings?) — essential for expressing personal preferences in German.
Learn the four most important irregular adverb comparisons by heart: gut → besser → am besten, viel → mehr → am meisten, gern → lieber → am liebsten, bald → eher → am ehesten. These four are used in nearly every German conversation.
Practice Problems
Form the comparative and superlative of 'laut' (loud).
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Which irregular adverb means 'well', and what are its comparative and superlative?
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Translate: 'I like Maths more than German.' Use 'gern' comparative.