Superlative Adjectives

Lesson objective

In this lesson, you will learn how to say that someone or something is the best, the biggest, the prettiest, the highest, or the brightest.

There are two ways to form the superlative in Darija.

Method 1: Definite article and personal pronoun

Use: noun + personal pronoun + adjective with the definite article

Omar mujtahid. — Omar is hardworking.
Omar huwa l-mujtahid f l-qism. — Omar is the most hardworking student in the class. (huwa = he, l-mujtahid = the most hardworking, f l-qism = in the class)

Susan bnt zwina. — Susan is a pretty girl.
Susan hiya z-zwina. — Susan is the prettiest. (hiya = she, z-zwina = the prettiest)

Method 2: Add “a” to the comparative form

A superlative can also be formed by adding a before the comparative adjective.

ḍ-ḍar l-biḍa akbr mdina f l-mġrib. — Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco. (akbr = the largest, mdina = city)

tubqal a3la jbl f l-mġrib. — Toubkal is the highest mountain in Morocco. (a3la = the highest, jbl = mountain)

Comparative exercise

Compare each pair using comparative adjectives:

• Driss and Hassan
• Mary’s car and Mike’s car
• Mohamed’s house and Judy’s house
• chocolate and bread