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Portuguese (Portugal)

### The Absolute Superlative (-íssimo)

When you want to say something is simply *extremely* or *very* something, without making a comparison to a group, Portuguese uses the **absolute superlative**.

Instead of adding a separate word like "very" (*muito*), you can often express this intense degree by attaching a suffix directly to the end of the adjective. This is perfect for sharing dramatic gossip and exaggerated rumors!

### Forming the Absolute Superlative

To form the absolute superlative, drop the final vowel of the adjective (if it has one) and attach **-íssimo**.

{{item:982317}}

{{item:982319}}

If the adjective ends in *-o*, such as *absurdo* (absurd), drop the *-o* to make *absurdíssimo*:

{{item:982321}}

{{item:982323}}

### Gender and Number Agreement

Just like the base adjectives they come from, these superlative forms must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. This gives us four possible endings: **-íssimo**, **-íssima**, **-íssimos**, and **-íssimas**.

For feminine nouns, use **-íssima**:

{{item:982331}}

For plural nouns, simply add an **-s** to the end of the superlative form:

{{item:982334}}

Absolute superlatives (-íssimo)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
the scandal	o escândalo
the millionaire	o milionário
The scandal with the millionaire is very serious.	O escândalo com o milionário é gravíssimo.
to spread	espalhar
the rumor	o boato
absurd	absurdo
They are spreading a very absurd rumor!	Eles estão a espalhar um boato absurdíssimo!
the divorce	o divórcio
the actress	a atriz
What rumor? The divorce of the actress and the millionaire?	Que boato? O divórcio da atriz e do milionário?
strange	estranho
shocked	chocado
Yes, the scandal is very strange and I am shocked.	Sim, o escândalo é estranhíssimo e estou chocado.
elegant	elegante
But the actress is very elegant.	Mas a atriz é elegantíssima.
She said that the divorce is very expensive. I am shocked!	Ela disse que o divórcio é caríssimo. Estou chocada!
Who brought this very strange rumor to the party?	Quem trouxe este boato estranhíssimo para a festa?
You must not spread those very absurd lies.	Não deves espalhar essas mentiras absurdíssimas.
The millionaire bought her a very elegant dress.	O milionário comprou-lhe um vestido elegantíssimo.
What did he do after the scandal?	O que é que ele fez depois do escândalo?