Italian comparatives, superlatives (adjectives/adverbs)
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Comparative and superlative constructions are used to make comparisons between two or more terms.
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A comparative adjective (aggettivo comparativo) expresses a comparison between two elements.
There are three different kinds of comparatives.
The comparative of majority is formed according to the following structure:
più + adjective + di
Italian | English |
---|---|
Mio fratello è più bravo di me. | My brother is better than me. |
Mia nonna è più vecchia di me. | My grandma is older than me. |
The comparative of minority is formed according to the following structure:
meno + adjective + di
Italian | English |
---|---|
Egli è meno ricco di Giovanni. | He is less rich than Giovanni. |
Anna è meno divertente di te. | Anna is less fun than you. |
The comparative of equality is formed according to the following structure:
adjective + quanto / come
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il mio amico è arrabbiato quanto te. | My friend is as mad as you are. |
Anna é alta come Maria. | Anna is as tall as Maria. |
Some adjectives create their comparative forms in two ways.
Together with the analytic form (più + adjective+ di), these adjectives have the synthetic forms.
Learn them by heart.
Adjective | Comparative (analytic form) | Comparative (synthetic form) |
---|---|---|
buono (good) | più buono (better) | migliore (better) |
cattivo (bad) | più cattivo (worse) | peggiore (worse) |
grande (big) | più grande (bigger) | maggiore (bigger) |
piccolo (small) | più piccolo (smaller) | minore (smaller) |
alto (high) | più alto (higher) | superiore (higher) |
basso (low) | più basso (lower) | inferiore (lower) |
The construction of the sentence remains the same as regular forms.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Andrea è migliore di Luca. | Andrea is better than Luca. |
La tua squadra è peggiore della mia. | Your team is worse than mine. |
The analytic and the synthetic form coexist. You can learn the correct usage by practising the language only.
La torta di mia nonna è più buona della mia.
My grandma's cake is better than mine.
La nostra idea è migliore della loro.
Our idea is better than theirs.
A superlative adjective expresses the fact that somebody has a certain quality to the maximum extent.
The superlative can be either relative or absolute.
The relative superlative states that someone or something has a certain quality to the maximum extent within a certain group of people or things.
It can be formed according to one of the following structures:
1. Determinate article + Più / Meno + adjective + Di (+ determinate article) / Tra / Fra + Noun
2. Determinate article + Noun + Più / Meno + adjective + Di (+ determinate article)/ Tra / Fra + Noun
Italian | English |
---|---|
Giorgia è la più bella della classe. | Giorgia is the most beautiful girl in the class. |
Stefano è il meno alto tra i giocatori della squadra. | Stefano is the shorter (the less tall) among the players in the team. |
La spiaggia più bella della Corsica è Capo Pertusato. | The most beautiful beach in Corsica is Capo Pertusato. |
Roma è la città più grande d'Italia. | Rome is the largest city in Italy. |
The absolute superlative form is used to state that someone (or something) has a certain quality to the highest degree, without any term of comparison.
In general, it is formed by adding the suffix -ISSIMO to the adjective (after dropping its last vowel).
Italian | English |
---|---|
Amo Torino, è una città bellissima. | I love Turin, it's a beautiful city. |
Siamo troppi, c'è pochissimo spazio. | We are too many, there's very few room. |
The absolute superlative adjective can also be formed as follows:
una casa davvero grande
a very big house
un libro noioso noioso
a very boring book
un gioco superdivertente
a very funny game
Italian | English |
---|---|
Questo film è molto interessante. | This film is very interesting. |
Michel sta bene? É pallido pallido. | Is Michel ok? He is very pale. |
Amo il cioccolato extrafondente. | I love extra dark chocolate. |
As the comparatives, some superlative adjectives (both relative and absolute) create their superlative forms in two ways.
Together with the analytic forms (il più + adjective+ di / suffix -ISSIMO), these adjectives also have the synthetic form.
Learn them by heart.
Adjective | Relative superlative (analytic form) | Relative superlative (synthetic form) | Absolute superlative (analytic form) | Absolute superlative (synthetic form) |
---|---|---|---|---|
buono (good) | il più buono (the best) | il migliore (the best) | buonissimo (very good) | ottimo (very good) |
cattivo (bad) | il più cattivo (the worst) | il peggiore (the worst) | cattivissimo (very bad) | pessimo (very bad) |
grande (big) | il più grande (the biggest) | il maggiore (the biggest) | grandissimo (very big) | massimo (very big) |
piccolo (small) | il più piccolo (the smallest) | il minore (the smallest) | piccolissimo (very small) | minimo (very small) |
alto (high) | il più alto (the highest) | il superiore (the highest) | altissimo (very high) | supremo / sommo (very high) |
basso (low) | il più basso (the lowest) | l'inferiore (the lowest) | bassissimo (very low) | infimo (very low) |
The analytic and the synthetic form coexist. You can learn the correct usage by practising the language only.
La torta di mia nonna è la più buona del mondo.
My grandma's cake is the best in the world.
La nostra idea è la migliore della classe.
Our idea is the best in the class.
A comparative adverb introduces a comparison between two elements.
There are three different kinds of comparatives.
The comparative of majority is formed according to the following structure:
Più (more) + Adverb + Di
Italian | English |
---|---|
Mio fratello corre più lentamente di me. | My brother runs faster than me. |
Lui ha fame e mangia più velocemente degli altri. | He's hungry and he eats faster than the other students. |
The comparative of minority is formed according to the following structure:
Meno (less) + Adverb + Di
Italian | English |
---|---|
Lui parla meno forte di Marco. | He speaks less loud than Marco. |
Anna dorme meno profondamente di Chiara. | Anna sleeps less soundly than Chiara. |
The comparative of equality is formed according to the following structure:
(Tanto) + Adverb + quanto
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il mio amico parla lentamente quanto te. | My friend speaks as slowly as you do. |
Michele scrive tanto rapidamente quanto Marco. | Michele types as quickly as Marco. |
A superlative adverb expresses a certain quality to the maximum extent.
The superlative can be either relative or absolute.
The relative superlative states that someone or something has a certain quality to the maximum extent within a certain group of people or things.
It can be formed according to the following structure:
Determinate article + Più / Meno + adverb + Di (+ determinate article) / Tra / Fra
Italian | English |
---|---|
Giorgio era quello che correva il più velocemente tra di noi. | Giorgio was the one who ran the fastest between us. |
Martina leggeva il più attentamente possibile. | Martina was reading as carefully as possible. |
The absolute superlative form is used to state that someone (or something) has a certain quality to the highest degree, without any term of comparison.
Superlative adjective (feminine singular form) + mente
Adjective | Superlative adverb | English |
---|---|---|
Forte → Fortissima → Fortissimamente | Lui parla fortissimamente. | He speaks so loudly. |
Piano → Pianissima → Pianissimamente | Cammina pianissimamente! | Walk super slowly! |
Comparative and superlative adverbs also have some irregular forms; they must be learned by heart.
Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
---|---|---|
Bene (Good) | Meglio (Better) | Ottimamente Benissimo (Amazingly) |
Male (Bad) | Peggio (Worse) | Malissimo (Terribly) |
Molto (A lot) | Più (More) | Moltissimo (The most) |
Poco (A little) | Meno (Less) | Pochissimo Minimamente (The littlest) |
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is a profesional teacher in every way. She’s tailored the lessons for my level and we are working towards an specific goal. I’m super happy with her methodology and I’m looking forward to the next lesson! 100% recommended.
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Buongiorno gente!
Are you ready to learn italian with me?
My name is Mojra and I'm a qualified mother tongue tutor. Whether you need to prepare yourself for a job interview, you're planning to relocate to Italy or to spend your next holiday there, I look forward to assisting you to achieve your goals!
I am here to help you improve you grammar, sentence structure and to teach you helpful phrases in a fun and relaxed way.
I graduated from university majoring in Linguistic Mediation and in Modern Languages and then I specialized in the teaching of Italian as a second language, attending a one-year post-graduate course devoted to this and receiving excellent grades (FILIS: Formatori Interculturali di Lingua Italiana per Stranieri). I also teach in the Italian public schools.
If you'd like to learn Italian fluently, I'd love to be your teacher, then why not book a trial class with me now? In this lesson, we will design a lesson plan especially for you discussing how you will reach your specific goals.
IMPORTANT: Please contact me before booking your lesson with me and let me know your Italian level as well as the reasons why you want to learn Italian.
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I just had my first Italian lesson with Mojra and it was great. She is a very enthusiastic and happy person and seemed to really care about helping me to improve my Italian. Although her English is very good, she was quite strict about making me speak almost only in Italian during the entire lesson. My Italian is at an A2 (low intermediate) level but with seemingly infinite patience and useful hints, Mojra helped me to ask my questions in Italian and I felt my confidence grow as the lesson progressed. I asked for help on knowing when I should use the dreaded subjunctive in Italian (congiuntivo). Mojra had some interesting material on the subject and some exercises that both helped me to practice and, at the same time, taught me some interesting things about Italy. We laughed a lot and I was quite surprised to find that I had been speaking almost entirely in Italian for an hour. The time flew past. I think Mojra is an excellent teacher. You should try a lesson with her.
Mojra G.Thank you very much for your words Abner! You are a very diligent student, continua così!
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Maria has experience in teaching spanish lessons and is very well structured. I really recommend her to everybody.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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I am an Italian native speaker with a Master's degree in Languages for International Relations. I have experience in tutoring students from all ages.
I prepare tailored lessons based on the students' needs and interests using textbooks, videos, interactive resources and ad-hoc materials.
If you want to learn Italian and know more about the culture, food, art and traditions, don't hesitate to get in touch!
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MariaRosa has been very patient, pleasant and encouraging. She is very conscientious and prepares well. She has developed a learning plan based on my requests. I enjoy the lessons and find them very useful
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Are you doing an Erasmus in Italy or Spain?
Are you came back recently?
Do you want a languages certification?
Here i am! I'm Andrea an Italian/spanish teacher that living in Spain. I got a Teaching Master and I'm working as italian teacher. Also, I have a C1 spanish level ( DELE certification) and I can teach you both languages.
Send me a request and we can find the best solution for you ;)
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It's very useful to go through writing I have done and discuss other ways of expressing the same idea.
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Hi, guys! My name is Lucia and I would like to invite you to learn Italian with me.
I am both a native speaker and a QUALIFIED teacher, as I hold a post-graduate degree in “Teaching Italian as a second language” and a national certification as teacher of Italian to not-native speaking.
My teaching method is COMMUNICATION-oriented and involves also the study of Italian culture and grammar. Indeed, as it happens in your mother language, the knowledge of spare words is not enough to get able to speak (i.e. INTERACT!) properly and conveniently.
I’ll prepare for you all teaching materials, tailoring lessons to your needs and interests, taking advantage from both the huge number of textbooks I hold and my creativity!
I offer lessons for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, as well as support in preparation to certification exams (I am also qualified ad examiner for the oral part of CELI).
Do not hesitate to get in contact with me to find a suitable time-slot for your trial lesson!
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I highly recommend Lucia, she is an amazing teacher, very pedagogical and explains all the rules in a very comprehensible manner. The program/book she uses is great, words are easy to remember and the exercises are interesting and interactive. 5 out of 5!
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena was friendly and encouraging and gave me good advice about preparing for my Italian language exam. I am looking forward to more lessons with her :)
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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Luisa is the best! Always enthusiastic and she makes the lessons fun and interesting. She's an expert teacher and my Italian has improved enormously.
Luisa A.Dear Janice thank you !!!! thank you so much !!!
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My name is Jay and I'm from Morocco I love to teach English and share my knowledge of Moroccan and western culture with young students.
My degree is in English Studies. I possess a CELTA certificate as well and I have also worked for 7 years in both Morocco and China.
I like basketball and going to the gym.
I believe the most effective way to feel comfortable and confident with learning English is to enjoy having conversations with a teacher who guides students in lessons that are fun and interesting, with plenty of congratulations and corrections where necessary!
I am friendly, motivated, funny, and more importantly patient.
And I love to teach children and adults.
I hope and look forward to seeing you, in one of my classes soon.
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Jalal is a teacher with experience in several countries with lots of passion about teaching English.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher. I really had difficulty properly expressing myself in Italian. Daniela not only tought me the basic rules of Italian grammar, but more importantly, during our many conversations in Italian, she helped me express myself much better and with confidence. I still have some path to go, particulalry deepening my knowledge of grammar. The next phase that I will start in a couple of months will focus on perfectionning that. I hope Daniela will find the time to work with me again
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Ana is a genuinely nice person and her kindness and gentleness comes through in the lessons. I thoroughly enjoy Ana’s teaching , it’s informative and tailored exactly to what I want to achieve. I wholeheartedly recommend Ana as your Spanish tutor.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a very competent and experienced Italian teacher. She prepares the lessons very carefully and focuses on all relevant aspects such as conversation, grammar and vocabulary. Above all, she has a very friendly personality that makes you feel at ease immediately. I can highly recommend her as an Italian teacher.
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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I have had many lessons with Luisa and I always look forward to them. We begin by chatting about the past week's events and them move to Espresso which I find very useful as a good review of material I have done in the past. There is often additional words used I had not met before. Luisa is always a pleasure to talk with and is a kind and pleasant teacher. She corrects me gently and offers useful words or meanings when appropriate.
Luisa A.Dear Martin thank you so much ! It's my pleasure taking class with you. And thanks a lot for your suggestion about Us movies ( Just Mercy) or Us books
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Hi there, I’m Letizia!
I've always had a great passion for languages and have made it my life's work.
I have been teaching English, Spanish and Italian as second languages (L2) to international students for 7 years now. I mainly work with teenagers and adults, but I also have experience with school-age children.
I am specialised in Psycholinguistics and Applied Linguistics for teaching: specifically, I work on the processes of L2 language acquisition (SLA), language development and processing.
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Very professional. Well thought out and planned lessons. Materials to prep for lesson sent out well in advance.
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I am Tina, am Italian, from the south part of Italy. Am 35, I graduated in languages and International communication in Rome. I studied English, Spanish and French at university and Bulgarian on my own. I have a specialist title for teaching Italian as a foreign language. I personally prepare the teaching material, I studied how to project material. My method is communicative and situational, respectful of cultural aspects and interculture. My teaching method permits a multisensorial learning, I use you- tube videos and pictures, arts pictures, songs and other authentic material of everyday Life (informal and public enviroment) . My lessons and my teaching material are Dynamic and interactive. I want students to have a nice and funny learning experience, I try to have impact on the emotions of the students, so that he can learn better as there Is a link between Memory and emotions.
Am prepared and skilled as a languages teacher. My unit includes phonetic, orthography, lexis, comunicative functions, cultural themes. Culturali elements are the focus of my teaching, bit grammar Is not missing, you learn It by funny way with me. Am very nice, polite and witty. I put the student in a confortable zone, I want him/her feel too feel at ease. I don't ask the student to memorize list of words or verbs, I let him or her know them by learning them in use , have experience of language system and culture. I teach you how to speak, how to do practical things with language according the pragmatic approach. We use the language for many purposes and to comunicate with other people.
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Concetta is an amazing teacher with an unique intuitive teaching method and individual approach to each student. She is passionated and prepares materials and exercises especially to cover respective needs and goals of a student. The way Concetta leads the lessons gives deep understanding of language and culture. She speaks many languages and has knowledges in different aspects that’s why communication with her is smooth and pleasant. Thank you Tina, for being so incredible teacher! .
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