Les superlatifs

Les superlatifs

The superlative form works as it does in English (the best, the most, the largest, etc). It is formed using a definite article (le, la, les) and the adverb plus or moins.

As with comparatives, superlatives can be used with ajectives, adverbs, verbs and nouns.

	Superiority +	Inferiority -
Adjective le/la/les plus/moins + adjective + (de)	Victor est le plus grand écrivain de tous les temps. Victor is the greatest writer of all time.	La voiture la moins chère c’est la mienne. The least expensive car is mine.
verb verb + le plus/moins	C’est Marcel qui mange le plus. Marcel is the one who eats the most.	C’est Gérard qui travaille le moins. Gérard is the one who works the least.
adverb le plus/moins + adverb	C’est Fabienne qui travaille le plus sérieusement. Fabienne is the one who works the most diligently.	C’est moi qui cours le moins vite. I’m the one who runs the least quickly.
Noun le plus/moins de + noun	Victor Hugo est l’écrivain qui a eu le plus de succès. Victor Hugo is the writer who has had the most success.	C’est Muriel Petite qui a le moins de chance au jeu. Muriel Petite is the one who has the least amount of luck playing games.

Note that when the superlative is formed with an adverb, verb or noun, the article LE remains unchanged (either le plus or le moins). When formed with an adjective, the article can vary: le, la ou les plus/moins.