CEFR A2
What you will learn
- Recognise the pattern taught in “German comparative and superlative A2” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “German comparative and superlative A2” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “German comparative and superlative A2” in a new case.
Before you start
- Have studied “German adjective declension A2: complete tables”.
The idea
The comparative marks difference with -er and commonly links the second term with als; equality uses so ... wie, while the superlative has a predicative am ...-sten form and an inflected attributive form.
The productive formation is adjective + -er: schnell→schneller, ruhig→ruhiger. The predicative/adverbial superlative uses am + stem + -(e)sten: am schnellsten, am ruhigsten. Insert -e- where pronunciation requires it, as in breit→am breitesten. Do not double an ending when the stem already ends in -er or -el: teuer→teurer, dunkel→dunkler.
Only a limited set, especially several monosyllables with a, o or u, takes an umlaut; not every short adjective does. Learn the forms: alt→älter→am ältesten, groß→größer→am größten, jung→jünger→am jüngsten, kalt→kälter→am kältesten, kurz→kürzer→am kürzesten. No universal classroom rule can be based on word length alone.
Frequent irregular series are gut→besser→am besten, viel→mehr→am meisten and gern→lieber→am liebsten. hoch loses c in höher, and nah gives näher/am nächsten. These cannot be derived by mechanically adding -er.
Difference uses als: Der Zug ist schneller als der Bus. Equality uses (genau) so ... wie. A comparative before a noun still inflects: ein schnellerer Zug; der schnellere Zug. Comparative -er belongs to the stem, after which the appropriate adjective ending is added.
Regular
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | schnell → schneller → am schnellsten |
| 2 | ruhig → ruhiger → am ruhigsten |
| 3 | breit → breiter → am breitesten |
| 4 | teuer → teurer → am teuersten |
| 5 | dunkel → dunkler → am dunkelsten |
Limited Umlaut
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | alt → älter → am ältesten |
| 2 | groß → größer → am größten |
| 3 | jung → jünger → am jüngsten |
| 4 | kalt → kälter → am kältesten |
| 5 | kurz → kürzer → am kürzesten |
Common irregulars
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | gut → besser → am besten |
| 2 | viel → mehr → am meisten |
| 3 | gern → lieber → am liebsten |
| 4 | hoch → höher → am höchsten |
| 5 | nah → näher → am nächsten |
Comparison
| Item | Form |
|---|---|
| difference | comparative + als |
| equality | (genau) so + positive + wie |
| attributive | comparative stem + declension ending |
How it sounds
- Dieses Regal ist breiter als das andere.breit forms breiter and difference is linked with als.
- Beide Wege sind gleich lang.Equality can also be expressed lexically with gleich; it does not require a comparative.
- Sie nimmt den kürzeren Weg.kürzer is the comparative stem and -en is the weak attributive adjective ending.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “warmer” for this case: “Der März war warmer als der Februar. (warm)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “am wärmsten” for this case: “Der März war am wärmsten als der Februar. (warm)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: wärmer — The adjective warm belongs to the umlaut set: wärmer; als introduces the unequal comparison term.
warm belongs to the umlaut set: wärmer; als introduces the unequal comparison term.
Answer: wärmer — The adjective warm belongs to the umlaut set: wärmer; als introduces the unequal comparison term.
warm belongs to the umlaut set: wärmer; als introduces the unequal comparison term.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “besser als” for this case: “Von allen Angeboten ist dieses besser als. (gut)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “am gutesten” for this case: “Von allen Angeboten ist dieses am gutesten. (gut)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: am besten — The irregular predicative superlative of gut is am besten.
The irregular predicative superlative of gut is am besten.
Answer: am besten — The irregular predicative superlative of gut is am besten.
The irregular predicative superlative of gut is am besten.
Check objective 3Another case
A proposed answer is “als” for this case: “Dieses Zimmer ist genauso hell als das andere.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “als wie” for this case: “Dieses Zimmer ist genauso hell als wie das andere.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: wie — The combination genauso ... wie expresses equality; als is used here for difference.
genauso ... wie expresses equality; als is used here for difference.
Answer: wie — The combination genauso ... wie expresses equality; als is used here for difference.
genauso ... wie expresses equality; als is used here for difference.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- Adjectives ending in -er or -el drop an e when the ending is added.teuer, aber: teurer
- Those ending in -d, -t, -s or -z insert an e before the -sten.am härtesten, am heißesten
- immer plus a comparative says something keeps increasing.Es wird immer kälter.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Er ist größer wie ich.
Right Er ist größer als ich.
English uses than for comparison and as for equality, and the two German words get swapped because wie looks like the wrong one. With a comparative it is always als.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) A proposed answer is “warmer” for this case: “Der März war warmer als der Februar. (warm)”. Choose the only valid form. 2) A proposed answer is “besser als” for this case: “Von allen Angeboten ist dieses besser als. (gut)”. Choose the only valid form. 3) A proposed answer is “wärmer” for this case: “Dieses Zimmer ist genauso hell wärmer das andere.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
- Recognise the pattern taught in “German comparative and superlative A2” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “German comparative and superlative A2” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “German comparative and superlative A2” in a new case.
Answer: wärmer · am besten · wie
warm belongs to the umlaut set: wärmer; als introduces the unequal comparison term. The irregular predicative superlative of gut is am besten. genauso ... wie expresses equality; als is used here for difference.
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: Comparing in German: -er, als, and am -stenThe genitive: whose it is, and when you say it that way