In Italian, we use comparatives to compare two things, as when we notice one person is taller or faster than someone else, and superlatives to compare one thing to a whole group, as when we notice that you are the tallest or the shortest in a group of friends.
In this post, we’ll introduce comparatives and superlatives of majority, minority, and equality, as well as the relative and absolute superlative, and irregular comparatives and superlatives. Let's see how to do this in Italian!
What are the types of comparatives and superlatives in Italian?
There are three types of comparatives in Italian: comparatives of majority, comparatives of minority, and comparatives of equality:
Comparative of majority: X > Y
Mia sorella è più alta di mio fratello.Translation: My sister is taller than my brother.Comparative of minority: X < Y
Questo libro è meno interessante di quello.Translation: This book is less interesting than that one.Comparative of equality: X = Y
Quel gatto è (tanto) fedele quanto un cane.Translation: That cat is as loyal as a dog.
And there are two types of superlatives in Italian: relative superlatives and absolute superlatives:
Relative Superlatives (the most… out of…)
Giorgio è il più alto di tutti.Translation: Giorgio is the tallest of all.Absolute Superlatives (the most… of all)
Siena è bellissima.Translation: The city of Siena is the most beautiful.
Now we can go through each of these types of comparatives and superlatives one-by-one!
How to form comparatives majority and minority in Italian?
Comparatives of majority and minority in Italian are formed with the structure più/meno… di/che meaning more/less... than. For example:
- Mia sorella è più alta di mio fratello.Translation: My sister is taller (lit. more tall) than my brother.
- Questo libro è meno interessante di quello.Translation: This book is less interesting than that one.
- Mi diverto meno a cantare che a suonare.Translation: I have less fun singing than playing (a musical instrument).
The most “classic” type of comparison uses this structure:
adjective
But più and meno can be followed by che meaning than! So let’s clarify when to use più/meno… di and più/meno… che.
When to use ‘più’ and ‘meno’ with ‘di’
Più meaning more and meno meaning less are used with di meaning than to compare nouns, before quanto and quel che, and before numerals. Take a look:
Use di when comparing two or more nouns. You might be comparing them in terms of…
some quality they have
(here, the word after più or meno will be an adjective):
Andrea è più sincero di te.Translation: Andrea is more sincere than you.compares different nouns: you vs. Andreasomething that they each have or do:
- Ho più giorni di vacanza di Maria e Giacomo / dei miei amici.Translation: I have more days off than Maria and Giacomo/than my friends.compares different nouns: me vs. Maria and Giacomo OR me vs. my friends
- Sandro studia più di me.Translation: Sandro studies more than me.compares different nouns: Sandro vs. me
Use di before quanto and quel che. Keep in mind that they are followed by the Italian subjunctive:
Gli italiani mangiano più frutta di quanto/quel che pensassi.Translation: Italians eat more fruit than I thought.Use di before numerals:
Sono appena arrivati più di 30 studenti.Translation: More than 30 students have just arrived.
When to use ‘più’ or ‘meno’ with ‘che’?
Più meaning more and meno meaning less are used with che meaning than when comparing two qualities of a single noun, when “than” comes before a preposition, or when “than” comes before an adverb. Let's see:
Use che when comparing qualities, actions, possessions, preferences, etc. that are ascribed to a single noun:
- Maria è più intelligente che ricca.Translation: Maria is more intelligent than rich.Maria’s intelligence vs. Maria’s wealth
- Lo smartphone è meno utile che difficile da usare.Translation: The smartphone is less useful than difficult to use.The smartphone’s usefulness vs. ease of use
- Mi piace più cucinare che mangiare.Translation: I like cooking more than eating.My preference for cooking vs. eating
Use che before (eg. con meaning with, a meaning to, da meaning from, per meaning for...):
Anna è meno gentile con Maria che con Simona.Translation: Anna is less kind to Maria than to Simona.Use che before an adverb:
Abbiamo passato la serata più/meno allegramente che seriamente.Translation: We spent the evening more/less cheerfully than seriously.
Let’s recap:
How to form comparatives of equality in Italian?
Comparatives of equality in Italian are formed using the structure (tanto)... quanto… meaning as... as... and (cosi)... come… meaning as... as....
- Quel gatto è (tanto) fedele quanto un cane.Translation: That cat is as loyal as a dog.
- Questa moto è (così) costosa come la tua.Translation: This motorbike is as expensive as yours.
Keep the following tips in mind:
When tanto and quanto are followed by nouns, they always agree in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine):
Nella classe c’erano tante ragazze quanti ragazzi.Translation: There were as many girls in the class as there were boys.In this case tante meaning as many agrees with ragazze meaning feminine plural and quanti meaning as agrees with ragazzi meaning masculine plural.
These two pairs are usually interchangeable, but you must use (tanto)...quanto when talking about quantities (how much/many):
Studio (tanto) quanto te ma i miei voti non sono così buoni come i tuoi.Translation: I study as much as you but my grades are not as good as yours.
What is the relative superlative in Italian?
In Italian, the relative superlative is used to compare one noun to a group. To form a relative superlative, just follow the rules for forming comparatives of majority or comparatives of minority, but add a definite article before più meaning more or meno meaning less. Compare the following:
| Comparative of majority (no article) | Relative superlative (with an article) |
|---|---|
Giorgio è più alto di Alice. Translation: Giorgio is taller than Alice. Compares Georgio to Alice | Giorgio è il più alto di tutti i compagni di classe. Translation: Giorgio is the tallest of all the classmates. Compares Georgio to a group (his classmates) |
However, there is often a simpler way to use relative superlatives.
For example, if I am describing my bug collection, I could say:
But it would be simpler just to say:
In this second sentence, the relative superlative adjective, più bello meaning pretty actually describes and agrees with insetto meaning insect, then we apply this label: l’insetto più bello to the butterfly.
Here are a number of different phrase structures, then, that you can use to form the relative superlative:
il più /meno + adjective + di…
il + noun + più /meno + adjective + di / tra / fra…
il + noun + più /meno + adjective + che + subjunctive
il più /meno + adjective + tra/fra + … + (di...)
What is the absolute superlative in Italian?
The absolute superlative is used to say that something is the best or the worst there is. Like when you are eating a pizza in Naples and you can only say, "Buonissima! meaning It's the best!". No comparison would work here, it’s simply the best!
Let’s see how you can make an “absolute” statement in Italian. There are different ways to express it:
With -issimo/-issima/-issimi/-issime meaning very attached to the adjective after dropping the last vowel. For example:
amaro → amarissimoTranslation: bitter → the most bitterQuesto caffè è amarissimo.Translation: This coffee is the most bitter.bella → bellissimaTranslation: beautiful → the most beautifulSiena è bellissima.Translation: The city of Siena is the most beautiful.Notice that the adjectives agree with the noun they modify: il caffè is masculine singular, and so it is amarissimo.
By placing molto meaning very, tanto meaning so, parecchio meaning quite a lot, assai meaning very, and other such adverbs of degree in front of the adjective:
- Marta e Luisa sono molto alte.Translation: Marta and Luisa are very tall.
- Questi libri sono parecchio interessanti.Translation: These books are quite interesting.
By joining the adjective with another one, which will strengthen the meaning:
Oggi ho lavorato tutto il giorno senza pausa: sono stanca morta!Translation: I have been working all day with no break, so I am dead tired!Check our list of the most used expressions for the absolute superlative in Italian; they will be useful when speaking!
By adding arci- / stra- meaning super, so, ultra at the beginning of the adjective:
- Sono stracontenta con i risultati.Translation: I’m super happy with the results.
- Questa attrice è arcifamosa.Translation: This actress is so famous.
Irregular comparatives and superlatives
In Italian, like in English, there are irregular comparatives and superlatives. It’s just like how we don’t say “This cheese is more good than that one” we say “This cheese is better than that one!”
However, in Italian, there are not many of these. Check our complete list of Italian irregular comparatives and superlatives, and get memorizing! It will be a precious resource when practicing with our exercises!
Conclusion
There are several ways of describing what surrounds you. We Italians generally say that our cappuccino is the best; sometimes we walk for hours to enjoy a cappuccino that is the best among those in town. But we shouldn’t sound so “absolute;” we could say that “Bar Centrale’s’ cappuccino is richer than Caffè Imperiale’s cappuccino,”— and remember that comparisons generally express a subjective opinion and encourage comparing different aspects. So, sipping a cappuccino or eating a pizza can become a linguistic experience! Now that we’ve covered comparatives and superlatives, “stay hungry” and keep on learning Italian with us!
To learn more about comparative and superlative adverbs in Italian, follow the link!
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