Absolute Superlative (Elative) | Greek Grammar

There are two quite different things English lumps under "superlative," and Greek keeps them apart. One is "the tallest of the group" — the relative superlative, which needs an article and a comparison. The other is plain "very tall, extremely tall" — no group, no comparison, just a high degree. That second one is the absolute superlative, or elative, and it is what this page covers. Greek has two ways to build it: an everyday spoken one (πολύ, πάρα πολύ) and a learned one-word form in -τατος that sounds emphatic and formal. Knowing which register each belongs to is the whole skill here.

The everyday elative: πολύ, πάρα πολύ, and friends

In ordinary speech the neutral way to say "very X" is simply πολύ ("very") in front of the adjective, and to push it higher, πάρα πολύ ("really very, extremely"). Both are invariable — they never agree with anything.

Το φαγητό ήταν πάρα πολύ νόστιμο, φάγαμε υπέροχα.

to fayitó ítan pára polí nóstimo, fághame ipérocha

The food was extremely tasty — we ate wonderfully.

Είμαι πάρα πολύ κουρασμένος, θα πέσω για ύπνο νωρίς.

íme pára polí kurazménos, tha péso ya ípno norís

I'm really very tired — I'll go to bed early.

A short family of other adverbs turns the dial in specific directions: υπερβολικά ("excessively," with a note of "too much"), εξαιρετικά ("exceptionally," a bit more emphatic and slightly formal), τελείως / εντελώς ("completely," for adjectives that describe an absolute state):

Ο καφές είναι υπερβολικά γλυκός για μένα, δεν τον πίνω.

o kafés íne ipervoliká ghlikós ya ména, dhen ton píno

The coffee is excessively sweet for me — I won't drink it.

Ήταν ένα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον ταξίδι, θα το θυμάμαι για χρόνια.

ítan éna ekseretiká endhiaféron taksídhi, tha to thimáme ya chrónia

It was an exceptionally interesting trip — I'll remember it for years.

The whole set of degree adverbs, and the fine shades between them, live on intensifiers and degree. For the elative, the headline is: πάρα πολύ is the safe, neutral spoken default.

The learned elative in -τατος

Greek also has a one-word elative inherited from the older language: the suffix -τατος, built exactly like the comparative but with -τατος in place of -τερος. So beside ωραίος ("beautiful") stands ωραιότατος ("extremely beautiful"); beside ψηλός, ψηλότατος; and for the -ύς adjectives, ταχύς → ταχύτατος ("very fast"), βαρύς → βαρύτατος ("very heavy").

Positive	Elative in -τατος	Everyday equivalent
ωραίος	ωραιότατος	πολύ ωραίος
σοβαρός	σοβαρότατος	πολύ σοβαρός
σπάνιος	σπανιότατος	πολύ σπάνιος
ταχύς	ταχύτατος	πολύ γρήγορος

Like the comparative, it is a normal adjective: it declines as -ος / -η / -ο (ωραιότατος / ωραιότατη / ωραιότατο), agrees with its noun, and takes its accent on the -ό- of the suffix.

Ο πρωθυπουργός έκανε μια σοβαρότατη δήλωση για την οικονομία.

o prothipurghós ékane mia sovarótati dhílosi ya tin ikonomía

The prime minister made a very grave statement about the economy.

Πρόκειται για ένα σπανιότατο χειρόγραφο, φυλάσσεται σε θησαυροφυλάκιο.

prókite ya éna spaniótato chiróghrafo, filásete se thisavrofilákio

It's an extremely rare manuscript — it's kept in a vault.

The adverb elative in -τατα is especially alive in fixed formal phrases: θερμότατα ("most warmly"), ταχύτατα ("extremely fast"), ελάχιστα ("very little").

Σας ευχαριστούμε θερμότατα για τη φιλοξενία σας.

sas efcharistúme thermótata ya ti filoksenía sas

We thank you most warmly for your hospitality.

Η κατάσταση εξελίχθηκε ταχύτατα μέσα σε λίγες ώρες.

i katástasi ekselíchthike tachítata mésa se líyes óres

The situation developed extremely fast within a few hours.

Register: -τατος is emphatic and formal, not wrong

This is the point to internalise. The -τατος elative is not an error and not archaic — a journalist, a formal speaker, an announcer or a novelist reaches for it naturally. But it is marked: it raises the tone. In casual conversation it can sound over-elevated, even theatrical, where πάρα πολύ would be neutral. Read the same idea in two registers:

Ήταν μια πολύ ωραία βραδιά, το διασκεδάσαμε πραγματικά.

ítan mia polí oréa vradhiá, to dhiaskedhásame praghmatiká

It was a very nice evening — we really enjoyed it. (everyday)

Ήταν μια ωραιότατη βραδιά, θα τη θυμόμαστε για καιρό.

ítan mia oreótati vradhiá, tha ti thimómaste ya keró

It was a most delightful evening — we'll remember it for a long time. (formal / emphatic)

Both are correct Greek. The first is what you say to a friend; the second is what you write in a thank-you note or say in a toast. A learner who defaults to -τατος in everyday chat will sound like they are perpetually giving a speech — which is exactly the register trap that the learned doublets of Greek are full of.

💡

Rule of thumb: speak with πάρα πολύ, write with -τατος. In conversation, πολύ / πάρα πολύ + adjective is always safe and never sounds wrong. Save the -τατος form for writing, formal occasions, and the set phrases where it has lodged (θερμότατα συγχαρητήρια, "warmest congratulations"; ιδιαιτέρως, and the like).

Lexicalized elatives: adjectives that are already "maxed out"

A handful of high-degree adjectives are themselves frozen old superlatives that Greek now uses as ordinary words meaning "top / superb / minimal." They no longer feel like comparisons at all:

άριστος — excellent, top-grade (once the superlative of "good")
έξοχος, υπέροχος — superb, wonderful
ελάχιστος — minimal, the tiniest bit
μέγιστος — greatest, maximal

Έκανες άριστη δουλειά με την παρουσίαση, μπράβο σου.

ékanes áristi dhuliá me tin parusíasi, brávo su

You did excellent work on the presentation — well done.

Η θέα από την κορυφή ήταν υπέροχη, δεν θέλαμε να φύγουμε.

i théa apó tin korifí ítan ipérochi, dhen thélame na fíghume

The view from the summit was wonderful — we didn't want to leave.

Because these words already sit at the top of the scale, piling πολύ on top of them is redundant: άριστος already means "excellent," so ×πολύ άριστος is like saying "very excellent." Use them bare — or, if you really want a gradable "very good," step down to πολύ καλός.

💡

Everyday Greek keeps a whole drawer of colloquial elatives beyond πολύ: τρομερά ("terribly" = amazingly), φοβερά ("fearfully" = incredibly) and απίστευτα ("unbelievably"), all placed in front of the adjective — τρομερά ωραίο, απίστευτα κουρασμένος. They are informal and expressive, the spoken cousins of the formal -τατος. The full set is on intensifiers and degree.

Common Mistakes

1. Using πάρα on its own. πάρα only intensifies πολύ — it cannot sit directly on an adjective.

❌ Το γλυκό ήταν πάρα νόστιμο.

Incorrect — πάρα intensifies πολύ, not the adjective: πάρα πολύ νόστιμο.

✅ Το γλυκό ήταν πάρα πολύ νόστιμο.

to ghlikó ítan pára polí nóstimo

The dessert was extremely tasty.

2. Not agreeing the -τατος form. It is a full adjective and must match its noun.

❌ Ευχαριστώ για τη ζεστότατο υποδοχή.

Incorrect — the elative must agree with the feminine noun: ζεστότατη.

✅ Ευχαριστώ για τη ζεστότατη υποδοχή που μου κάνατε.

efcharistó ya ti zestótati ipodhochí pu mu kánate

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me.

3. Stacking πολύ onto a -τατος elative. -τατος already means "very"; adding πολύ is a double superlative.

❌ Ήταν ένα πολύ ωραιότατο δώρο.

Incorrect — ωραιότατο already means 'extremely beautiful'; drop the πολύ.

✅ Ήταν ένα ωραιότατο δώρο, με συγκίνησε πολύ.

ítan éna oreótato dhóro, me singínise polí

It was a most beautiful gift — it moved me a lot.

4. Stacking πιο or an article-superlative onto a -τατος form. The elative is not a comparative; never combine it with πιο.

❌ Ήταν το πιο ωραιότατο μέρος του νησιού.

Incorrect — ωραιότατο is an elative ('extremely beautiful'), not a relative superlative; don't add πιο or the article-superlative.

✅ Ήταν ένα ωραιότατο μέρος, γαλήνιο κι απόμερο.

ítan éna oreótato méros, ghalínio ki apómero

It was an extremely beautiful spot — peaceful and secluded.

Key Takeaways

The absolute superlative (elative) means "very / extremely X" with no comparison — distinct from the relative superlative ("the most X of a group").
Everyday spoken form: πολύ / πάρα πολύ + adjective (invariable) — plus υπερβολικά, εξαιρετικά, τελείως for specific shades.
Learned one-word form: -τατος (ωραιότατος, ταχύτατος), declines like -ος/-η/-ο, accent on the suffix — formal and emphatic, not wrong.
Speak with πάρα πολύ, write with -τατος; the adverb -τατα survives in set phrases (θερμότατα, ταχύτατα).
Lexicalized elatives (άριστος, υπέροχος, έξοχος, ελάχιστος, μέγιστος) already sit at the top — don't add πολύ (×πολύ άριστος).
Never combine the elative with πολύ or πιο (×πολύ ωραιότατο, ×πιο ωραιότατο).

Now practice Greek

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Greek →