Comparatives measure one thing against another — Lisboa é mais quente do que o Porto. Relative superlatives go one step further: they pick out a single member of a whole group as the extreme. "Lisbon is the hottest city in Portugal." "She's the youngest of three sisters." "This is the most interesting book I've read this year." This is the construction you need any time you want to say the most or the least of something.
European Portuguese builds the relative superlative in a very regular way, but a few details catch learners off guard: the scope of the comparison is always introduced by de (not em as English speakers instinctively want), irregular comparatives work differently from regular ones, and certain redundant structures — o mais melhor being the worst offender — are always wrong.
This page covers the relative superlative ("the most," "the least"). For the absolute superlative — forms like felicíssimo, belíssimo meaning "extremely happy," "extremely beautiful" — see the separate page on Absolute Superlatives.
The basic structure
The formula is simple:
definite article + mais/menos + adjective + (de + group)
O José é o mais alto da turma.
José is the tallest in the class.
Esta é a mais interessante das três conferências.
This is the most interesting of the three conferences.
Este é o menos caro dos três hotéis.
This is the least expensive of the three hotels.
Foi a mais bonita das paisagens que vimos no Gerês.
It was the most beautiful of the landscapes we saw in Gerês.
Notice that the definite article agrees with the noun you are singling out: o for masculine singular, a for feminine singular, os and as for plurals. The adjective also agrees, just as always in Portuguese. Only mais and menos are invariable.
The scope of comparison: de, not em
One of the most persistent errors for English speakers is using em (in) where Portuguese requires de (of). English says "the tallest in the class"; Portuguese says o mais alto *da turma — literally "the tallest of the class." This is a hard habit to break, but it is always *de that marks the scope.
| English preposition | Portuguese preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | de | o melhor do mundo (the best in the world) |
| of | de | o maior dos três (the biggest of the three) |
| on | de | a mais famosa da rua (the most famous on the street) |
| at | de | a melhor aluna da escola (the best student at the school) |
Lisboa é a maior cidade de Portugal.
Lisbon is the biggest city in Portugal.
É o melhor restaurante do bairro.
It's the best restaurant in the neighbourhood.
A Ana é a mais divertida de todas as minhas amigas.
Ana is the funniest of all my friends.
Este é o vinho mais antigo da cave.
This is the oldest wine in the cellar.
Remember the standard contractions: de + o = do, de + a = da, de + os = dos, de + as = das.
Irregular comparatives in the superlative
The four irregular comparatives — melhor, pior, maior, menor — form relative superlatives simply by adding a definite article. You do not combine them with mais: o mais melhor is a double marking and is always wrong.
| Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| melhor | o/a melhor | the best |
| pior | o/a pior | the worst |
| maior | o/a maior | the biggest / greatest |
| menor | o/a menor | the smallest / least |
É o melhor da equipa — marca sempre os golos decisivos.
He's the best on the team — he always scores the decisive goals.
Foi o pior dia da minha vida profissional.
It was the worst day of my professional life.
O Amazonas é o maior rio da América do Sul.
The Amazon is the largest river in South America.
O Vaticano é o menor Estado do mundo.
Vatican City is the smallest state in the world.
For "the smallest" in everyday spoken European Portuguese, o/a mais pequeno/a is just as common as o/a menor:
O meu irmão mais pequeno ainda anda na escola primária.
My youngest brother is still in primary school.
Adjective placement in the superlative
The superlative adjective can appear either before or after the noun, but the most natural placements depend on the adjective and the style:
- Definite article + noun + mais/menos + adjective + de: the neutral, most common order.
- Definite article + mais/menos + adjective + de: the adjective is elliptical — the noun is understood.
- Definite article + mais/menos + adjective + noun + de: possible with a few pre-nominal adjectives, but much less common.
É a estudante mais aplicada da turma.
She's the most dedicated student in the class.
É a mais aplicada da turma.
She's the most dedicated in the class.
É a mais aplicada estudante da turma.
(Unusual) She's the most dedicated student in the class.
In everyday speech, the first form (noun + mais + adjective) is overwhelmingly dominant. The third form is possible but sounds literary or marked.
Restrictive clauses with the superlative
Instead of (or in addition to) a de + noun phrase, the scope can be expressed by a relative clause — a que-clause that restricts the set.
Foi a viagem mais interessante que fiz na minha vida.
It was the most interesting trip I've ever taken.
É o homem mais honesto que conheço.
He's the most honest man I know.
Comprei o livro mais caro que vi na feira.
I bought the most expensive book I saw at the fair.
Este é o melhor pastel de nata que alguma vez comi.
This is the best custard tart I've ever eaten.
Adverb superlatives: o mais / menos … possível
To form the superlative of an adverb, Portuguese uses a fixed pattern: o mais or o menos + adverb + possível. Despite referring to an adverb (not a noun), the article stays in its default masculine form o.
Chega o mais cedo possível, por favor.
Arrive as early as possible, please.
Vou responder o mais rapidamente possível.
I'll reply as quickly as possible.
Tentei explicar o mais claramente possível.
I tried to explain as clearly as possible.
Tenta falar o menos alto possível — o bebé está a dormir.
Try to speak as quietly as possible — the baby is sleeping.
This construction is extremely frequent in everyday Portuguese. It is the natural equivalent of English "as X as possible."
Superlative without a stated group
Often the group being compared is obvious from context and does not need to be stated explicitly.
Diz-me qual é a melhor opção.
Tell me which is the best option.
Escolheram o candidato mais qualificado.
They chose the most qualified candidate.
Compra o pão mais fresco que encontrares.
Buy the freshest bread you can find.
These sentences still have a relative superlative meaning — one thing is being singled out as the extreme — but the scope is simply understood.
Beware of redundant markers
Portuguese does not tolerate double comparative/superlative markers. These are always wrong:
- o mais melhor — melhor is already a comparative/superlative; do not add mais.
- o mais pior — same problem with pior.
- o mais maior — redundant.
- o menos menor — absurd.
The irregular forms (melhor, pior, maior, menor) are already doing the work that mais/menos would do; combining them is always ungrammatical.
❌ É o mais melhor jogador da equipa.
Incorrect — never combine 'mais' with an irregular comparative.
✅ É o melhor jogador da equipa.
He's the best player on the team.
Quick reference: building a superlative
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| estudante aplicada |
| estudante mais aplicada |
| a estudante mais aplicada |
| a estudante mais aplicada da turma |
Set phrases with the relative superlative
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| o mais cedo possível | as early as possible |
| o mais tardar | at the latest |
| o melhor possível | as best as possible |
| o pior de tudo | the worst of all |
| o mínimo dos mínimos | the bare minimum |
| na pior das hipóteses | in the worst-case scenario |
| o melhor dos mundos | the best of all worlds |
Precisas de responder ao mais tardar na sexta-feira.
You need to reply by Friday at the latest.
O pior de tudo é que ele ainda acha que tem razão.
The worst of all is that he still thinks he's right.
Common mistakes
❌ Lisboa é a maior cidade em Portugal.
Incorrect — superlative scope uses 'de', not 'em'.
✅ Lisboa é a maior cidade de Portugal.
Lisbon is the biggest city in Portugal.
❌ É o mais melhor aluno da turma.
Incorrect — 'melhor' is already a superlative; don't add 'mais'.
✅ É o melhor aluno da turma.
He's the best student in the class.
❌ Este vinho é mais caro da lista.
Incorrect — relative superlative requires the definite article.
✅ Este vinho é o mais caro da lista.
This wine is the most expensive on the list.
❌ Vou responder o mais rápido que possível.
Incorrect — the fixed structure is 'o mais X possível', not 'o mais X que possível'.
✅ Vou responder o mais rapidamente possível.
I'll reply as quickly as possible.
❌ A melhor restaurante do bairro é aquele.
Incorrect agreement — 'restaurante' is masculine, so 'o melhor'.
✅ O melhor restaurante do bairro é aquele.
The best restaurant in the neighbourhood is that one.
Relative vs. absolute superlative
To keep the two superlative types straight:
- Relative superlative (this page): o mais alto, a melhor, o menos caro. Picks out one member of a group as the extreme.
- Absolute superlative: altíssimo, belíssimo, riquíssimo. Says something is extremely X, without comparing it to anything.
Ele é o mais alto da família.
(Relative) He's the tallest in the family.
Ele é altíssimo — mede dois metros.
(Absolute) He's extremely tall — he's two metres.
See the Absolute Superlative page for the full system of -íssimo endings.
Key takeaways
- Structure: definite article + mais/menos
- adjective + de + group.
- The article agrees with the noun in gender and number.
- The scope of comparison uses de (not em or a).
- Irregular comparatives (melhor, pior, maior, menor) form superlatives with just the article — never mais.
- For adverb superlatives, use o mais/menos + adverb + possível.
- Use a relative clause (que fiz, que conheço) to restrict the scope.
- Never use o mais melhor, o mais pior, or other double-marked forms.
Related Topics
- Absolute Superlative (-íssimo)A2 — Expressing extreme degree without comparison — the -íssimo suffix, everyday alternatives with muito/super, irregular forms, and when each register is appropriate.
- Regular Comparatives (Mais, Menos, Tão)A2 — Forming comparisons of superiority, inferiority, and equality with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns — mais, menos, tão, and the do que / como pattern.
- Irregular Comparatives (Melhor, Pior, Maior, Menor)A2 — Four essential adjectives with irregular comparative forms — plus the crucial PT-PT fact that 'mais pequeno' is perfectly normal.
- Adjectives Before the NounA2 — When and why Portuguese adjectives precede the noun — subjective evaluation, fixed expressions, and the nuance that pre-nominal placement adds.