Superlative vis- and -ākais

The Most: Vis- and -ākais

Level 3

Start from the comparative (liels → lielāks), add vis- and a definite ending: vislielākais, vislielākā (the biggest). Without vis-, the definite comparative lielākais already means the biggest.

How It Works

1. Three steps. Positive, comparative, superlative:

  • ātrs → ātrāks → visātrākais (fast, faster, fastest)
  • labs → labāks → vislabākais (good, better, best)
  • skaista → skaistāka → visskaistākā (beautiful, feminine)

2. With or without vis-. Labākais and vislabākais both mean the best. Vis- adds emphasis and is very common. You can make it even stronger with pats or pati: pats labākais (the very best).

3. Saying of what. Name the group with no or a place in the locative: visgarākais no visiem (the tallest of all), visgarākā klasē (the tallest in the class). A genitive before the noun also works: Latvijas lielākā pilsēta (Latvia's biggest city).

4. Adverbs. Adverbs add vis- to the comparative adverb: ātrāk → visātrāk, vairāk → visvairāk, mazāk → vismazāk. Man visvairāk patīk vasara (I like summer most of all).

Note: in casual speech and the media you may meet forms without the definite ending, such as visgarāks. Standard Latvian normally uses the definite ending.

Examples (6)

  1. Rīga ir Latvijas lielākā pilsēta.

    Riga is Latvia's biggest city.

    Lielākā, with the definite ending, means the biggest.

  2. Šī ir vislabākā kafejnīca pilsētā.

    This is the best café in town.

  3. Viņš ir visgarākais no visiem brāļiem.

    He is the tallest of all the brothers.

  4. Kurš skrien visātrāk?

    Who runs fastest?

    Skrien is described by an adverb, so the form is visātrāk, with no adjective ending.

  5. Man visvairāk patīk vasara.

    I like summer most of all.

  6. Tā bija pati skaistākā diena manā dzīvē.

    That was the most beautiful day of my life.

    Pati before a superlative makes it stronger, like the very.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indefinite comparative when you mean the most.

    Rīga ir lielāka pilsēta Latvijā.
    Rīga ir lielākā pilsēta Latvijā.

    The intended meaning is Riga is the biggest city in Latvia. Lielāka only means bigger. The definite ending -ā makes it the biggest.

  • Building the superlative with visvairāk and a plain adjective, like English most beautiful.

    Tā ir visvairāk skaista pilsēta.
    Tā ir visskaistākā pilsēta.

    Latvian builds the superlative inside the adjective: vis- + skaist + -āk- + definite ending.

  • Using an adjective ending where an adverb is needed.

    Man vislabākais patīk vasara.
    Man vislabāk patīk vasara.

    To say how much you like something, use the adverb vislabāk. Vislabākais is an adjective and describes a person or thing: vislabākais draugs (the best friend).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Superlative vis- and -ākaisLevel 3The Most: Vis- and -ākais

Learn This First

The superlative builds on comparatives.

Words in This Pattern

vis