I am having trouble in knowing which superlative to use. For example, "Mein Mantel ist am waermsten." and "Dieser Sommer ist der waermste".
How do I know if I am supposed to use the -ste or the -sten ending? Is there some little clue that tells me which ending to use?
Lesson 3.2
Fuzzy
April 3, 2008
(deleted)
April 3, 2008
Hi there,
in most cases you can use both:
Mein Mantel ist am wärmsten.
Mein Mantel ist der wärmste.
Dieser Sommer ist der wärmste.
Dieser Sommer ist am wärmsten.
The difference between the two forms is that using an article (der, die, das) puts more emphasis on the person or thing that you use the superlative for.
It's a bit like saying:
Peter, he is the tallest (Peter ist der grösste) rather than
Peter is the tallest (Peter ist am grössten).
Fuzzy
April 3, 2008
got it, thanks.