To say "the biggest" or "the cheapest" in Dutch, you add -st to the adjective: _groot_ becomes _grootst_. Before a noun you usually put _de_ or _het_ in front and add -e: _de grootste stad_, _het mooiste huis_. After a verb you usually use _het_ plus the form without -e: _Wie rent het snelst?_
This form is called the superlative (in Dutch: _de overtreffende trap_). It picks out the top of a group: the cheapest coffee, the busiest train, the coldest month. It is one step up from the [comparative](#/lesson/comparatives), where _groot_ becomes _groter_.
The pattern
Add -st to the adjective. Before a noun, add -e and usually _de_ or _het_ (_de grootste stad_); after a verb, usually _het_ plus the bare form without -e (_Deze is het grootst_).
- Most adjectives simply add -st: _klein_, _kleinst_; _snel_, _snelst_; _duur_, _duurst_; _gezellig_, _gezelligst_.
- The adjective keeps its spelling, because -st starts with a consonant and the syllable stays closed: _groot_, _grootst_ (compare _groter_); _dik_, _dikst_ (compare _dikker_); _lief_, _liefst_. The same goes with -e: _de grootste_, _de dikste_.
- Adjectives that end in -s add only -t: _vies_, _viest_; _wijs_, _wijst_.
- Before a noun, the superlative gets -e. Usually you use the noun's article: _de grootste stad_, _het mooiste huis_, _de duurste fietsen_. A possessive replaces the article: _haar dikste trui_. Without a possessive, keep the article, even if your language drops it (Arabic says "biggest city" with none).
- After a verb, the usual form is _het_ plus the bare form: _Deze is het grootst_, _Wie rent het snelst?_
- Some adjectives use _meest_ instead (see [Meer and meest](#/lesson/meer-meest)), and _goed_ becomes _best_ (see [Goed, beter, best](#/lesson/irregular-comparison)).
Examples
| Amsterdam is de grootste stad van Nederland. | Amsterdam is the biggest city in the Netherlands. |
|---|---|
| Fatima woont in het mooiste huis van de straat. | Fatima lives in the most beautiful house on the street. |
| Dit is de goedkoopste koffie van de supermarkt. | This is the cheapest coffee in the supermarket. |
| Priya heeft de kleinste kamer van het huis. | Priya has the smallest room in the house. |
| Utrecht Centraal is het drukste station van Nederland. | Utrecht Centraal is the busiest station in the Netherlands. |
| Het station is om acht uur het drukst. | The station is busiest at eight o'clock. |
| Wie rent het snelst? | Who runs the fastest? |
| Na het voetballen zijn de schoenen van Carlos het viest. | After football, Carlos's shoes are the dirtiest. |
| In januari is het meestal het koudst. | It is usually coldest in January. |
Why it works this way
Before a noun, a superlative is an ordinary adjective after _de_ or _het_, so it gets -e, just like _de grote stad_ (see [adjective endings](#/lesson/adjective-endings)). A superlative picks out one particular winner, so it usually comes with _de_, _het_ or a possessive like _mijn_, and takes -e. That is why you say _een mooi huis_ but _het mooiste huis_ and _mijn mooiste huis_.
After a verb, _het snelst_ names no thing. It tells you how much: to the top degree. So it stays _het_, even with a plural subject: _De treinen zijn om acht uur het drukst_.
Compare the two station sentences. _Utrecht Centraal is het drukste station_ ranks one station against other stations, so there is a noun. _Het station is om acht uur het drukst_ compares the station with itself at other times. No noun fits, so you use _het drukst_.
Remember: "the biggest one" is a thing, so it gets _de_ or _het_ and -e. "Biggest of all" is a degree, so it gets _het_ and no ending.
With _zijn_, when you compare things in a group, both work: _Deze tas is het grootst_ and _Deze tas is de grootste_ (the biggest one). After a verb you will also hear _het snelste_ with -e. That is accepted, but the bare form is the usual choice in writing.
Watch out
- Not: _het mooist huis_ Say: _het mooiste huis_ (before a noun the superlative gets -e, also after _het_)
- Not: _Het station is om acht uur drukst._ Say: _Het station is om acht uur het drukst._ (English can drop "the" here, Dutch needs _het_)
- Not: _Wie rent de snelste?_ Say: _Wie rent het snelst?_ (after an action verb no noun fits, so use _het_)
- Not: _de grotste stad_ Say: _de grootste stad_ (-st starts with a consonant, so the long vowel stays written double)
- Not: _de viesste wc_ Say: _de vieste wc_ (an adjective ending in -s adds only -t)
Quick check
- Fill in the superlative of _mooi_: _Dit is de ... fiets van de hele winkel._
- Choose: _Bas fietst (de snelste / het snelst) van iedereen op kantoor._
- Fix the sentence: _Het vriest, dus Mei draagt haar dikkste trui._
- Fill in the superlative of _vies_: _Daan heeft de ... auto van de hele straat._
Answers
- _mooiste_ (before a noun after _de_: -st plus -e)
- _het snelst_ (after the verb _fietst_ no noun fits)
- _Het vriest, dus Mei draagt haar dikste trui._ (no doubled consonant before -st)
- _vieste_ (_vies_ ends in -s, so add only -t, then -e before the noun)
Use it today
In the supermarket, find the cheapest and the most expensive coffee and say it to yourself: _Dit is de goedkoopste koffie, en dit is de duurste._ Then ask a colleague one question with _het_, like _Welke supermarkt is hier het goedkoopst?_