-are/-ast

Comparative/superlative

Level 2

Add -are to an adjective to mean 'more' (e.g., snabb → snabbare, faster) and -ast to mean 'most' (e.g., snabb → snabbast, fastest).

How It Works

To compare adjectives in Swedish, you typically modify their endings. The standard rule is straightforward:

  • Comparative: Add -are to the adjective's base form. This is used to compare two things, often with the word än (than).
    Example: kall (cold) → kallare (colder)
  • Superlative: Add -ast to the adjective's base form. This is used to say something is the 'most' of a quality.

Superlative Forms in Sentences
The superlative form has two main endings depending on its role in the sentence:

1. Predicative form (-ast): As a bare predicative superlative in this pattern, use -ast, as in the example below. A definite nominal expression after the verb can instead contain -aste: Den här är den snabbaste.
- `Vintern är kallast.` (The winter is coldest.)

2. Attributive form (-aste): When the adjective comes before a definite noun (e.g., 'the fastest car') or after a possessive pronoun ('my fastest car'), it must end in -aste.
- `Januari är den kallaste månaden.` (January is the coldest month.)
- `Detta är min finaste tröja.` (This is my nicest sweater.)

Spelling Rules

  • Adjectives ending in unstressed -el, -en, -er drop the '-e-' before adding the suffix.
    - vacker (beautiful) → vackrare → vackrast
    - enkel (simple) → enklare → enklast

Note that some adjectives are irregular (e.g., bra/bättre/bäst) and others, especially long ones, use mer/mest instead.

Examples (5)

  1. Min bil är snabbare än din.

    My car is faster than yours.

    Word by Word: My car is faster than yours.

  2. Den här jackan är varmast.

    This jacket is the warmest.

    Word by Word: This here jacket is warmest.

    Here, varmast is used in its predicative form after the verb 'är' (is).

  3. Jag vill köpa den billigaste telefonen.

    I want to buy the cheapest phone.

    Word by Word: I want to-buy the cheapest phone-the.

    Because 'telefonen' is a definite noun, the superlative form of the adjective becomes billigaste (with an -e).

  4. Hon är gladare idag.

    She is happier today.

    Word by Word: She is happier today.

  5. Vilken är den vackraste staden i Europa?

    Which is the most beautiful city in Europe?

    Word by Word: Which is the most-beautiful city-the in Europe?

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to add '-e' to the superlative form before a definite noun.

    Jag läste den intressantast boken.
    Jag läste den intressantaste boken.

    In den intressantaste boken, the definite attributive superlative requires intressantaste, not intressantast. This card illustrates the -are/-ast pattern; other adjectives can have irregular forms.

  • Confusing the comparative and superlative forms.

    Min bil är snabbast än din.
    Min bil är snabbare än din.

    For the shown direct comparison with än, use snabbare rather than snabbast. A superlative instead ranks something within a comparison set.

How It Connects

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

-are/-astLevel 2Comparative/superlative

Learn This First

To understand how to compare adjectives using -are and -ast, you first need a solid grasp of basic adjective forms, including how they agree with noun gender and how they change in the definite form.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.