Superlative of adjectives (am größten, der beste)

To say something is the most of a group, German builds the superlative right onto the adjective with -(e)st- — the ending that follows then depends on how the adjective is being used in the sentence, not on the idea being expressed.

Quick shortcut: when the superlative doesn't directly modify a noun (including after sein and describing a verb), use am + adjective + -sten (am größten). Directly before a noun, add the usual attributive adjective ending onto the same -(e)st- stem — most often seen as der/die/das + adjective + -e (der größte).

Two shapes for one idea

German superlatives take one of two shapes depending on where they sit in the sentence:

• Not modifying a noun (after sein, or describing how an action happens): am + adjective + -sten
  • Dieser Zug ist am schnellsten. (This train is the fastest.)
  • Dieser Zug fährt am schnellsten. (This train goes fastest.)
• Attributive (directly before a noun): the -(e)st- stem plus the normal attributive adjective ending — most commonly der/die/das + adjective + -e in the nominative, though the ending changes with case, gender, and whether an article is present at all, exactly like any other attributive adjective
  • Das ist der schnellste Zug. (That is the fastest train.)
  • mit schnellstem Zug (with the fastest train — no article, so a different ending)

Both describe the exact same superlative. Am schnellsten is the everyday choice whenever you're not naming a specific noun — describing the subject after sein, or describing how an action happens. The der/die/das + -e shape is for when a noun follows it directly (der schnellste Zug) — it can also stand alone when the noun is already clear from context (Von allen Zügen ist dieser der schnellste, "of all the trains, this one is the fastest"), but at this stage it's simplest to reach for am schnellsten unless you're naming or clearly implying a specific noun.

Building the am + -sten form

Take the plain adjective, add -sten, and put am in front:

• schnell → am schnellsten — Dieser Zug ist am schnellsten.
• klein → am kleinsten — Diese Wohnung ist am kleinsten.
• interessant → am interessantesten — Dieses Buch ist am interessantesten.

Just like the comparative, even a long adjective like interessant still just takes the superlative ending — ✅ am interessantesten, never ❌ am meisten interessant.

An extra -e- after certain endings

Adjectives ending in -d, -t, -s, -ß, -z, or -sch insert an -e- before -sten, so the ending is pronounceable:

• kurz → am kürzesten (not am kürzsten)
• heiß → am heißesten (not am heißsten)
• interessant → am interessantesten (see above — this is why it's -esten, not -sten)

This is purely a pronunciation aid — the same -e- shows up in the attributive form too (der kürzeste, der heißeste).

Umlaut in the superlative

Superlative forms take an umlaut in exactly the same set of adjectives as the comparative:

If an adjective takes an umlaut in the comparative, it takes the same umlaut in the superlative — you don't need to learn the pattern twice. (See Comparative of adjectives for the full comparative picture, including which adjectives don't take an umlaut at all.)

Irregular superlatives

The same handful of forms that are irregular in the comparative (adjectives, plus the adverb gern) are irregular in the superlative too, and in the same way — two are replaced by a different word entirely, the rest just add the ending to a changed stem:

• Dieser Kaffee ist am besten. (This coffee is the best.)
• Von allen Filmen mag ich diesen am liebsten. (Of all the films, I like this one the most.)

Notice hoch also loses its -c- in the superlative stem (höchsten, not hochsten) — a small spelling quirk on top of the irregular stem change.

The attributive form needs the usual adjective endings too

When a superlative sits directly before a noun, its -(e)st- stem takes the normal attributive adjective ending — that whole declension system belongs to its own lesson, but the superlative slots into it exactly like any other adjective. The examples below show the common nominative pattern, der/die/das + stem + -e:

• der schnellste Zug (the fastest train)
• die interessanteste Geschichte (the most interesting story)
• das beste Restaurant (the best restaurant)

Common mistakes

• ❌ Dieser Zug ist am schnellst. → ✅ Dieser Zug ist am schnellsten. (the predicate form always ends in -sten, not bare -st)
• ❌ am kurzsten → ✅ am kürzesten (missing both the umlaut and the linking -e-)
• ❌ Das ist der meist interessante Film. → ✅ Das ist der interessanteste Film. (an ordinary adjective forms its superlative with -(e)st-, not a separate "most" word — exactly as with the comparative)
• ❌ Das ist der gutste Film. → ✅ Das ist der beste Film. (gut is irregular — beste, not gutste)

Quick check

Give the correct superlative form (choose the predicate am ...-sten shape unless a noun is shown).

1. alt → Mein Großvater ist ____.
2. gut → Das war der ____ Tag meines Lebens.
3. kurz → Dieser Weg ist ____.
4. hoch → Das ist der ____ Berg in Europa.

Key takeaways

• Two shapes for the same idea: am + adjective + -sten when it doesn't modify a noun (after sein or describing a verb); the -(e)st- stem plus the usual attributive ending when it sits directly before a noun (most often seen as der/die/das + adjective + -e).
• Adjectives ending in -d, -t, -s, -ß, -z, -sch insert an extra -e- before -sten (kurz → am kürzesten).
• Any adjective that takes an umlaut in the comparative takes the same umlaut in the superlative: alt → am ältesten, groß → am größten.
• The same forms that are irregular in the comparative are irregular here too (adjectives, plus the adverb gern): gut → am besten, viel → am meisten, gern → am liebsten, hoch → am höchsten, nah → am nächsten.
• An ordinary adjective's superlative is always built with the -(e)st ending, however long the adjective — never a separate "most" word (fixed compounds like meistgelesen, "best-read," are a different, lexicalized case).