Definite superlatives (stærsta, besta)

When talking about real estate, you will often need to describe the "biggest" house or the "best" location.

Definite Superlatives

When an adjective describes a specific, definite "most" or "-est" thing (like the oldest house), it takes the definite superlative form. Because you are pointing out a specific item, the adjective uses the weak declension, and the noun takes the attached definite article.

The weak declension endings for singular superlative adjectives are:

CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nominative-i-a-a
Acc / Dat / Gen-a-u-a

In the nominative case, both feminine and neuter adjectives end in -a.

This is the best location and the best sale price.
Þetta er besta staðsetningin og besta söluverðið.
Is this the newest property in the neighborhood?
Er þetta nýjasta fasteignin í hverfinu?

Neuter Nouns in Other Cases

For neuter nouns like húsið (the house) or hverfið (the neighborhood), the weak ending is -a in all four cases.

The buyer wants to view the oldest house.
Kaupandinn vill skoða elsta húsið.
We live in the best neighborhood.
Við búum í besta hverfinu.

Feminine Nouns in Other Cases

For feminine nouns like fasteignin (the property) or íbúðin (the apartment), the weak ending changes to -u in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.

The buyer views the most expensive property.
Kaupandinn skoðar dýrustu fasteignina.
The real estate agent sells the smallest apartment.
Fasteignasalinn selur minnstu íbúðina.

Make sure each adjective matches the gender and case of its noun. Below, tilboðið (the offer) is neuter accusative (-a), while fasteignina (the property) is feminine accusative (-u).

We have the best offer for the most beautiful property.
Við erum með besta tilboðið í fallegustu fasteignina.