00:00Hello friends, how are you? Welcome to another lesson in this German course.
00:03This video follows a thread we started in the previous video, video 56.
00:07where I explained to them how comparatives are constructed in German.
00:13Comparatives of equality, superiority, and inferiority.
00:18But there is one more level, which is what this video is about, and that is superlatives.
00:23Here I'm going to tell you what they are and how they are constructed in German.
00:27If you want to know, then keep watching this video.
00:30My name is Esteban and these are the superlatives in German.
00:42Friends, a superlative is when I'm going to say that something is the best thing there is.
00:48And that something is an adjective. For example, the biggest, the most beautiful, the most expensive.
00:53This is not a comparison because I am not comparing one thing to another and saying this is more than
00:59that.
00:59Rather, I'm saying this is the best. I mean, comparing it to all the others at the same time.
01:05Okay? That's what's known as the superlative, and it has its own rules and endings.
01:11In Spanish we use it differently, friends. For example, if I say the tree is old.
01:18Okay? The comparative way to say this would be the tree is older.
01:24I can say it like this, or I can say it's older than this other one.
01:28If I please say so.
01:29But I could also say that the tree is the oldest.
01:34So in Spanish that superlative is said as the most.
01:39Okay? It's not just "older than," but "the oldest."
01:44The oldest.
01:45That's the superlative in Spanish.
01:47In German, of course, it's not like that.
01:50Just like that, or as happened with the comparative.
01:52In German, what happens is that the adjective takes an ending.
01:57Okay? Then I suggest you watch the video before this one so you understand how it works.
02:02In German, to construct the superlative, I'm going to tell you the easiest way first.
02:07That is when the adjective is alone.
02:09Okay? When it's not accompanied by any noun.
02:12And therefore it should not acquire any decline.
02:17So there is that case for the superlative.
02:19For example, if I were to say you are the youngest.
02:25If you look at it, that younger one doesn't have any nouns.
02:29It's not accompanying anything.
02:31I'm just saying the youngest.
02:33How do you say that?
02:34Friends, when the adjective is just like that on its own.
02:36To make it superlative, all you have to do is use the word am.
02:42Okay?
02:42And the adjective is given the ending sten or st-e-n.
02:48Exactly as you are seeing it right now.
02:50You are young.
02:52You had Jung.
02:55If we were to compare what we saw in the previous video.
02:59Let's remember that when the adjective has only one syllable and the vowel is, for example, u in this case, the
03:06comparative takes the umlaut.
03:08Do you remember that?
03:09I explained that in the previous video.
03:10So, you're younger.
03:15And what would the superlative be according to the rule I already told you?
03:19You are the youngest.
03:22Well friends, we take this expression that I told you, and the adjective.
03:26So, you no longer add that "er" that I told you about, but this ending "sten".
03:32Okay?
03:33And it also continues to apply what I told you about the umlaut.
03:36From the two dots.
03:38It is still valid.
03:41You are the youngest.
03:43Du bist am jüngsten.
03:48Am jüngsten.
03:49This means the youngest.
03:52Let's look at it with this adjective.
03:53Clear.
03:54Do you remember that this adjective was irregular in the comparative?
03:57I told them that there was a special rule where you remove the last 'e' before adding the 'r'.
04:03That doesn't apply in the superlative.
04:06And do you know why it doesn't apply?
04:07Because the ending is different here.
04:09Here we're talking about sten.
04:11That does not conflict with the rest of the word.
04:15Therefore, for that reason, this superlative adjective does not need to be modified in any way.
04:21It's still a gift.
04:23The book is expensive.
04:25Das Buch ist teuer.
04:30Comparative.
04:32The book is more expensive.
04:35Das Buch ist teure.
04:40Teure.
04:41Remember, irregular.
04:43Superlative.
04:45The book is the most expensive.
04:48The rule I already told you, friends.
04:50Das Buch ist am jüngsten.
04:53Am jüngsten.
04:55Am jüngsten.
04:56Do you see it?
04:58Easy, folks.
04:59It's not complicated at all.
05:00It is the original adjective.
05:02The ending sten is added and it is said with that am, to imply that it is a superlative.
05:08Are there irregular superlatives or special cases?
05:12Yes, friends.
05:12This happens, for example, in adjectives that end in -s.
05:16Yes, because the ending that it must take starts with that.
05:19So, that S doesn't get that long, but the solution, in some cases, for example, is to put
05:27an E in the middle.
05:29Sweet.
05:29Sweet in German is süß.
05:32This already has Lundlaut, so there's no need to consider any of that here.
05:35Comparative, that is, sweeter, would be süßa and the sweetest.
05:42So, here we don't say am süßsten, because it would leave a triple S, very long.
05:49Instead, the solution this language uses is to add an E in the middle of all those S's,
05:56so that it can be said.
05:58So, the sweetest one is called am süßsten.
06:03Do you see it? Am süßsten, the sweetest.
06:07This also happens with other adjectives that end in letters like these that you are seeing, friends.
06:13Not only those ending in S, but also, for example, those ending in T, D, SSH, X
06:20or Z.
06:21It's very important that they realize that.
06:24Where, of course, there are exceptions.
06:26Not all rules apply universally.
06:28There are words that are said differently, just because.
06:31The most typical one, which the example, let's say, does not fulfill this, which is the most used, is gross.
06:38Okay? Gross meaning big or tall.
06:41Did you see? So, if it were according to this rule, it would be said am grösssten.
06:45But no, actually, the superlative of gross is am grösssten.
06:51Seen? Am grösssten.
06:53So, it's very different.
06:54It's an exception.
06:56Please look at the exceptions.
06:58And with all this in mind, friends, how do you do it when the adjective isn't there on its own?
07:03but rather it accompanies a noun, as we saw at the end of the previous video?
07:08But here, what would the superlative be?
07:11Friends, to make it easy, it's practically the same as what we saw with the comparison.
07:17except that the ending the adjective takes is not R, but ST.
07:23This is like the general rule.
07:25And the rest of the sentence structure is as it normally would be.
07:31It is important to note that when talking about the superlative, the article is definite.
07:36That is, der, die or das.
07:37Okay? One doesn't use indefinite superlatives, that is, with ein or eine, because it doesn't make sense.
07:45I have an intelligent son.
07:47Ich habe einen klugensohn.
07:51Here, einen klugensohn, since it is accusative.
07:55And here I haven't done anything with superlatives or comparisons yet.
07:59Okay? This is the original phrase, so to speak.
08:03I have an intelligent son.
08:04Ich habe einen klugensohn.
08:09Comparative.
08:10I have a more intelligent son.
08:13What were they doing there?
08:14Well, the adjective was modified to the comparative of klug, which was klüga.
08:19We saw that in the previous video.
08:21Then it would be
08:22Ich habe einen klugerensohn.
08:26Ich habe einen klugerensohn.
08:29And now, what would the superlative be?
08:32I have the smartest son.
08:36Friends, well then, we no longer say klug or klüga,
08:41but the superlative of this is klugst.
08:46Do you see it?
08:47I told them that you simply change the R to ST
08:51to make it superlative when it is accompanied by a noun.
08:56And please note, moreover, that here I am saying
08:59I have the smartest son.
09:02So here he's not just a son, but THE son.
09:05So here the article is no longer einen,
09:07but it becomes a definite article.
09:10Den, the smartest son.
09:13Then it would be said
09:14Ich habe den klüchstensohn.
09:19Den klüchstensohn.
09:21Because it's accusative.
09:23And you can see that there is the superlative with the ST.
09:26I'm with an intelligent man.
09:30Ich bin mit einem klugen man.
09:35I'm using the examples we saw at the end of the previous video.
09:39So you can see the contrast.
09:41I'm with a more intelligent man.
09:44Comparative.
09:45So, what changes here?
09:46Well, since I'm using this one here,
09:49What I am going to decline is the dative case.
09:52Remember that.
09:54Dative.
09:55So, Ich bin mit einem klügeren Mann.
10:00And this ending EN that the adjective acquires,
10:03You should already have it perfectly mastered,
10:06because this is basic adjective declension.
10:09And now, what everyone has been waiting for,
10:11So how do you work with superlatives?
10:15I am with the smartest man.
10:19The same applies here then,
10:20the article becomes a definite article,
10:24and the rest is just endless repetition,
10:27Because it's exactly the same thing, folks.
10:30I am with the smartest man.
10:32Ich bin mit dem klügeren Mann.
10:36Ich bin mit dem klügeren Mann.
10:40And there you have it, folks.
10:41They do the same in all other cases.
10:43whether it's genitive, whether it's nominative, whatever.
10:47The same, simply as the adjective,
10:49They add that ST,
10:50And they've already turned it into a superlative.
10:53And that's what they were left with,
10:55Yes, they add the corresponding declensions.
10:59Remember, it's very important that the superlative
11:01always use definite article.
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