When you want to talk about extremes—like the tallest tower or the funniest joke—you use the superlative form of an adjective.
Forming the superlative (-st)
To form the superlative in Dutch, you generally add -st to the base adjective. Just like "smart" becomes "smartest" in English, the Dutch word slim becomes slimst.
When the superlative is placed at the end of a sentence and isn't directly followed by a noun, you always use the word het before it. This applies no matter what the gender of the subject is.
| The student is smart, but the teacher is the smartest. | De student is slim, maar de docent is het slimst. |
| This player is the slowest. | Deze speler is het traagst. |
The superlative before a noun
When the superlative is placed directly before a noun, you add an -e to the ending (making it -ste) and use the definite article that matches the noun (de or het).
| Who is the smartest player on the team? | Wie is de slimste speler van het team? |
| I do not want to take the slowest train. | Ik wil de traagste trein niet nemen. |
| This is the highest tower in the world. | Dit is de hoogste toren van de wereld. |
Adjectives ending in -d
If an adjective already ends in -d, just add -st normally (breed becomes breedst or breedste).
| The bridge is wide, but that river is the widest. | De brug is breed, maar die rivier is het breedst. |
| We have played on the widest street. | We hebben op de breedste straat gespeeld. |
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