The most: the prefix naj- on top of the comparative
You have already built the comparative: dobry → lepszy, drogi → droższy. The superlative is made from it by one move — gluing on the prefix naj-. lepszy → najlepszy, droższy → najdroższy. A separate word for most is not needed: naj- is that most. For example: “To najtańsze mieszkanie w tym mieście” — It is the cheapest flat in this city. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
You have already built the comparative: dobry → lepszy, drogi → droższy. The superlative is made from it by one move — gluing on the prefix naj-. lepszy → najlepszy, droższy → najdroższy. A separate word for most is not needed: naj- is that most.
Irregular forms drag the prefix along: zły → gorszy → najgorszy, duży → większy → największy, mały → mniejszy → najmniejszy. Long adjectives take bardziej/najbardziej: najbardziej popularny.
Adverbs work the same way: dobrze → lepiej → najlepiej, źle → gorzej → najgorzej. From here come the most frequent words: najpierw — first of all, najbliżej — closest, najczęściej — most often.
What you compare with is shown by w, na or z: najtańsze mieszkanie w mieście, najlepszy student na roku, najstarszy z braci. The English of all is a trap: only one preposition is allowed.
Table
| Plain | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| dobry | lepszy | najlepszy |
| zły | gorszy | najgorszy |
| duży | większy | największy |
| mały | mniejszy | najmniejszy |
| tani | tańszy | najtańszy |
| drogi | droższy | najdroższy |
| dobrze | lepiej | najlepiej |
| źle | gorzej | najgorzej |
By example
- To najtańsze mieszkanie w tym mieścieIt is the cheapest flat in this city
- Egzamin był najtrudniejszy w rokuThe exam was the hardest of the year
- Ten telefon ma najwyższą ocenęThis phone has the highest rating
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The most: how does it work in Polish?
You have already built the comparative: dobry → lepszy, drogi → droższy. The superlative is made from it by one move — gluing on the prefix naj-. lepszy → najlepszy, droższy → najdroższy. A separate word for most is not needed: naj- is that most.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“To najtańsze mieszkanie w tym mieście” — It is the cheapest flat in this city. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.