In Italian, comparatives (comparativi) are used to compare two people, animals, or things, while superlatives (superlativi) express ideas such as the most, the least, or very. For example, we can say that one house is bigger than another, that a student is the tallest in a class, or that a book is very interesting. Italian usually forms these expressions with simple words such as più (more), meno (less), and molto (very), rather than changing the ending of the adjective as English often does.
Comparatives: More, Less, and As Much As
To say that someone or something has more of a quality than another, Italian uses più + adjective + di. To express less of a quality, it uses meno + adjective + di. These structures correspond to English expressions such as bigger than, more expensive than, or less interesting than. The adjective must still agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Before a definite article, di combines with the article, producing forms such as del, della, and dei. When two qualities of the same person or thing are compared, Italian normally uses che instead of di. To express equality, Italian commonly uses adjective + come, meaning as … as. The word così can also appear before the adjective, although it is often omitted in everyday speech.
Marco è più alto di Luca. — Marco is taller than Luca.
Marco è più alto del fratello. — Marco is taller than his brother.
Questo libro è meno interessante di quello. — This book is less interesting than that one.
Anna è più alta di Marco. — Anna is taller than Marco.
Questo libro è più interessante che difficile. — This book is more interesting than difficult.
Marco è alto come Luca. — Marco is as tall as Luca.
Questa casa è grande come quella. — This house is as big as that one.
Superlatives: The Most and Very
Italian has two common ways to express a superlative. The relative superlative (superlativo relativo) identifies someone or something as having the highest or lowest degree of a quality within a group. It is usually formed with definite article + più or meno + adjective. When a noun is present, the article can come before the noun, as in il libro più interessante (the most interesting book). The adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number, and the group can be introduced by di. Unlike English, Italian does not normally add an ending equivalent to -est to form this type of superlative.
Marco è il più alto della classe. — Marco is the tallest in the class.
Anna è la più giovane della famiglia. — Anna is the youngest in the family.
Questo è il libro meno caro. — This is the least expensive book.
The absolute superlative (superlativo assoluto) expresses a very high degree of a quality without comparing anyone or anything. The simplest way to form it is with molto + adjective, corresponding to English very. Italian also commonly uses the ending -issimo, which replaces the final vowel of many regular adjectives, as in bello → bellissimo. This ending changes to agree with the noun: –issimo, -issima, -issimi, or -issime. Both forms express a strong quality, although they are not always identical in emphasis.
La casa è molto bella. — The house is very beautiful.
La casa è bellissima. — The house is extremely beautiful.
I ragazzi sono altissimi. — The boys are extremely tall.
Summary of Italian Comparatives and Superlatives
| Type | Structure | Italian example | English translation |
| Comparative: more | più + adjective + di | più alto di Luca | taller than Luca |
| Comparative: less | meno + adjective + di | meno caro di questo | less expensive than this one |
| Comparing two qualities | più + adjective + che | più interessante che difficile | more interesting than difficult |
| Equality | adjective + come | alto come Luca | as tall as Luca |
| Relative superlative | article + più/meno + adjective | il più alto | the tallest |
| Absolute superlative | molto + adjective | molto bello | very beautiful |
| Absolute superlative | adjective + -issimo ending | bellissimo | extremely beautiful |