What the absolute superlative is
The absolute superlative expresses a very high degree without comparing anything. It corresponds to English very, extremely or super-.
There are two ways to form it: the ending -issimo on the adjective, or molto in front of it. molto never changes here: molto buona, not molta buona.
La pizza è buonissima.
The pizza is super good.
La pizza è molto buona.
The pizza is very good.
Forming -issimo
Drop the final vowel of the adjective, then add -issimo. The ending agrees in gender and number like any adjective in -o: -issimo, -issima, -issimi, -issime.
L'esame è stato facilissimo.
The exam was super easy.
Le scarpe sono carissime.
The shoes are extremely expensive.
Come stai? Sto benissimo!
How are you? I'm doing great!
The adverb bene (well) takes the ending too: benissimo.
Spelling
The sound of the stem stays the same. Adjectives whose plural ends in -chi or -ghi therefore get an h. For adjectives in -io, the whole ending drops.
| Adjective | Superlative | Note |
|---|---|---|
| caro | carissimo | final vowel drops |
| ricco | ricchissimo | plural ricchi: h |
| largo | larghissimo | plural larghi: h |
| vecchio | vecchissimo | -io drops completely |
Sono stanchissimo oggi.
I'm exhausted today.
Questa strada è lunghissima.
This road is very long.
ottimo and pessimo
Besides buonissimo and cattivissimo, there are two forms of their own: buono → ottimo (excellent) and cattivo → pessimo (terrible). They already contain the very and agree like bello: ottimo, ottima, ottimi, ottime.
È un'ottima idea!
That's an excellent idea!
Il servizio era pessimo.
The service was terrible.
