The superlative singles out one item from the rest or a group of items from the rest, so it always includes the word “the.” In Spanish, of course, “the” can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural, so you will use el, la, los, or las. The next thing the superlative does is refer to a characteristic, for example, the most interesting, the highest, or the least expensive. The last feature of the superlative is the comparative element. In English you use the words “most” or “least” or the superlative suffix “-est.” In Spanish, you only use más and menos. An easy formula for the superlative in Spanish looks like this: el, la, los, las + más/menos + adjectivo. Let's look at a few examples:

el monumento más/menos importante

(the most/least important monument)

la iglesia más/menos bonita

(the prettiest, most/least beautiful church)

las calles más/menos interesantes

(the most/least interesting streets)

los edificios más/menos altos

(the tallest/least tall buildings)

To talk about the “best” and the “worst” places, you use the definite article followed by mejor or peor: el mejor museo (the best museum) or la peor fuente (the worst fountain). If the best and worst places are plural, you use las or los + mejores or peores: los barrios más curiosos (the most curious neighborhoods) or las peores calles (the worst streets).

Translate the following list of the top five highlights of Quito, Ecuador.

Then check your answers in Appendix D.