Spanish has a special form of superlative that means "extremely" or "very very" — the absolute superlative, formed with the suffix -ísimo. Unlike the regular superlative, it doesn't compare one thing to others. It just turns up the intensity.
Formation
To form the absolute superlative, drop the final vowel of the adjective and add -ísimo. It has four forms, just like any other four-form adjective.
| Adjective | Absolute superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| alto | altísimo | extremely tall |
| fácil | facilísimo | extremely easy |
| lento | lentísimo | extremely slow |
| guapa | guapísima | extremely good-looking |
| grande | grandísimo | extremely large |
| inteligente | inteligentísimo | extremely intelligent |
Mi abuela es altísima.
My grandma is extremely tall.
Fue un día cansadísimo.
It was an extremely tiring day.
Agreement
The absolute superlative agrees with the noun in gender and number, exactly like any other adjective.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| altísimo | un edificio altísimo |
| altísima | una torre altísima |
| altísimos | unos árboles altísimos |
| altísimas | unas montañas altísimas |
Son unos problemas dificilísimos.
They are extremely hard problems.
Spelling Changes
Some adjectives need a spelling adjustment so the pronunciation stays consistent when -ísimo is added.
c → qu
When an adjective ends in -co, the c changes to qu to preserve the hard sound:
- rico → riquísimo
- blanco → blanquísimo
- poco → poquísimo
El postre estaba riquísimo.
The dessert was absolutely delicious.
g → gu
When an adjective ends in -go, the g becomes gu:
- largo → larguísimo
- amargo → amarguísimo
Fue un viaje larguísimo.
It was an extremely long trip.
z → c
When an adjective ends in -z, the z changes to c:
- feliz → felicísimo
A Few Irregulars
Some adjectives have special absolute superlative forms inherited from Latin. You'll hear some more than others.
| Adjective | Absolute superlative |
|---|---|
| bueno | buenísimo (also: bonísimo, literary) |
| malo | malísimo (also: pésimo, literary) |
| grande | grandísimo |
| pequeño | pequeñísimo |
| nuevo | novísimo (literary) / nuevísimo |
| fuerte | fortísimo (literary) / fuertísimo |
| antiguo | antiquísimo |
In Latin American everyday speech, you're more likely to hear buenísimo and malísimo than their Latinate cousins. But pésimo ("terrible") is fully modern.
Es un escritor buenísimo.
He's an extremely good writer.
Tuvimos un día pésimo.
We had a terrible day.
Not a Comparison
Remember: the absolute superlative doesn't compare one thing to others. It just amplifies the adjective.
Es altísimo.
He's really, really tall.
To say "the tallest" (comparing), you'd use the regular superlative: es el más alto. See Superlatives.
Alternative: muy + adjective
You can almost always replace -ísimo with muy + adjective. The meaning is similar, but -ísimo feels more emphatic or expressive.
| With muy | With -ísimo |
|---|---|
| muy alto | altísimo |
| muy rica | riquísima |
| muy grande | grandísimo |
In casual conversation, Latin Americans use both forms freely. -ísimo tends to be slightly more colorful.
Pulling It Together
La película fue larguísima pero interesantísima.
The movie was super long but super interesting.
Related Topics
- Superlatives (El más..., El menos...)A2 — Expressing 'the most' or 'the least' with the definite article
- Four-Form Adjectives (-o/-a/-os/-as)A1 — Adjectives ending in -o have four forms that match the noun in gender and number