The Superlative
the longest · the most enjoyable · oldest vs eldest · in/of · Present Perfect — Complete Guide
Le Superlatif
le plus long · le plus agréable · oldest vs eldest · in/of · Present Perfect — Guide Complet
Master how to form superlatives with -est and most, the difference between oldest and eldest, and when to use in or of after superlatives.
Maîtrisez la formation des superlatifs avec -est et most, la différence entre oldest et eldest, et quand utiliser in ou of après un superlatif.
The superlative is used to compare one thing against all others in a group: the longest river, the most enjoyable holiday. It is formed with -est (short adjectives) or most … (longer adjectives), always preceded by the. A few forms are irregular, and there are specific rules for oldest/eldest, the prepositions in and of after superlatives, and the use of the present perfect.
Le superlatif sert à comparer une chose à toutes les autres dans un groupe : the longest river, the most enjoyable holiday. Il se forme avec -est (adjectifs courts) ou most … (adjectifs longs), toujours précédé de the. Quelques formes sont irrégulières, et il existe des règles spécifiques pour oldest/eldest, les prépositions in et of après un superlatif, et l’emploi du present perfect.
Forming Superlatives — -est or most…
Former les Superlatifs — -est ou most…
Use -est for short adjectives (one syllable, or two syllables ending in -y). Use most … for longer adjectives.
Utilisez -est pour les adjectifs courts (une syllabe, ou deux syllabes terminées par -y). Utilisez most … pour les adjectifs plus longs.
-est (short adjectives)
-est (adjectifs courts)
most … (longer adjectives)
most … (adjectifs longs)
good → best · bad → worst · far → furthest (or farthest)(ou farthest)
Using the / my / your with Superlatives
the / my / your devant le Superlatif
We normally use the (or my / your / his etc.) before a superlative. Compare the superlative and the comparative:
On utilise normalement the (ou my / your / his etc.) devant un superlatif. Comparez le superlatif et le comparatif :
The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world.
She is one of the nicest people I know.
What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen, and what’s the worst?
How old is your youngest child? Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world.
She is one of the nicest people I know.
What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen, and what’s the worst?
How old is your youngest child?
Superlative
Superlatif
Comparative
Comparatif
oldest and eldest
oldest et eldest
The superlative of old is normally oldest. We use eldest only when talking about people in a family (and oldest is also correct in that context).
Le superlatif de old est normalement oldest. On utilise eldest uniquement pour parler de personnes dans une famille (et oldest est aussi correct dans ce contexte).
oldest — general use
oldest — usage général
eldest — family only
eldest — famille uniquement
in and of after Superlatives
in et of après le Superlatif
After superlatives, use in with places and groups of people. Use of with periods of time.
Après les superlatifs, utilisez in pour les lieux et les groupes de personnes. Utilisez of pour les périodes de temps.
in — places & groups
in — lieux et groupes
of — time periods
of — périodes de temps
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year. (NOT in the year)
Who is the youngest student in the class? (NOT of the class) What’s the longest river in the world? (PAS of the world)
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year. (PAS in the year)
Who is the youngest student in the class? (PAS of the class)
Present Perfect after Superlatives
Present Perfect après le Superlatif
We often use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) after a superlative, especially with ever.
On utilise souvent le present perfect (have/has + participe passé) après un superlatif, surtout avec ever.
That was the best holiday I’ve had for a long time.
This is the worst film I’ve ever seen.
She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. What’s the most important decision you’ve ever made?
That was the best holiday I’ve had for a long time.
This is the worst film I’ve ever seen.
She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.
Complete with the superlative form (-est or most) of the adjective given.
Complétez avec la forme superlative (-est ou most) de l'adjectif donné.
Superlative or comparative? Complete using the adjective in brackets.
Superlatif ou comparatif ? Complétez avec l'adjectif entre parenthèses.
Complete with a superlative + in or of.
Complétez avec un superlatif + in ou of.
What do you say in these situations? Use a superlative + ever.
Que diriez-vous ? Utilisez un superlatif + ever.
Frequently Asked Questions — Superlative
Questions fréquentes — Superlatif
Use -est for one-syllable adjectives (long → longest, cheap → cheapest) and two-syllable adjectives ending in -y (easy → easiest, happy → happiest). Use most for adjectives with two or more syllables that don't end in -y (famous → most famous, expensive → most expensive).
On utilise -est pour les adjectifs d'une syllabe (long → longest) et les adjectifs de deux syllabes se terminant par -y (easy → easiest). On utilise most pour les adjectifs de deux syllabes ou plus qui ne se terminent pas par -y.
Oldest is used in all contexts — for people, animals, things, and family members. Eldest is used only for people in a family (eldest son, eldest daughter, are you the eldest?). You can always use oldest for family members too. Never use eldest for objects or buildings: ✓ the oldest church ✗ the eldest church.
Oldest s'utilise dans tous les contextes. Eldest ne s'utilise que pour des personnes d'une même famille. Ne jamais utiliser eldest pour des objets ou des bâtiments.
After a superlative, use in for places (the world, the hotel, the city, the class, the company) and of for time periods (the year, the month, my life, the day): ✓ the longest river in the world · ✓ the hottest day of the year.
Après un superlatif, on utilise in pour les lieux et of pour les périodes de temps : ✓ the longest river in the world · ✓ the hottest day of the year.
The present perfect is used after superlatives because we are referring to our experience up to the present moment. The best film I’ve ever seen means: out of all films I have seen in my life (up to now), this is the best. It is especially common with ever.
Le present perfect s'utilise après les superlatifs car on parle de notre expérience jusqu'au moment présent. C'est particulièrement courant avec ever.
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