Unlike the basic form, which changes depending on gender and number, the comparative has only this form. That is also true for the superlative, with the exception of when the adjective is preceded by an "identifying" word (like ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘my’); the ending -ast will then receive an extra -e.

Notes

Like in English, some adjectives prefer or even require the words ‘mer’ (‘more’) or ‘mest’ (‘most’) instead, to show that they are in the comparative or superlative form. To this group belong all adjectives ending in -isk, which cannot take the endings -are and -ast, and some longer adjectives, none of them very frequent, though.

Since the adjective itself remains its basic form when it is combinated with ‘mer’ and ‘most’, it will change like any other adjective, depending on if it is referring to an en word, an ett word, or a word in the plural (cp. Chapter 5).

In colloquial Swedish many adjectives are often combined with the word 'jä´tte' (which literally means 'giant') to add emphasis:

'jä´ttestór' - very big, huge
'jä´ttelíten' - very small, tiny
'jä´ttebrá' - very good, great

Fast déras bil är ábsolút fúlast, den fúlaste jag sett, fáktiskt.
Though their car is absolutely ugliest, the ugliest I (have) seen, actually.

Vad týcker du? Det här är min fínaste jácka. Är den tíllrä´ckligt fin för fésten i kväll?
What think you? This is my finest jacket. Is it enough/sufficiently fine for the party tonight?

Den är jä´ttefín! Íngen ánnan har nå´gon fínare.
It is "giant"-fine (i.e. absolutely beautiful)! Nobody other (i.e. nobody else) has anyone finer.

Due to the high frequency of these adjectives, you would do well in memorizing them before going any further, especially the first four of them:
 

When denoting one male person the -sta in the definite form of the superlative is changed to -ste (this rule is often ignored in everyday spoken Swedish, though):

Han är min bä´ste vän. Han och hans bror är mína bä´sta vä´nner.
He is my best friend. He and his brother is/are my best friends.

Every - várje

‘Várje’, the word for ‘every’, has like its English relative only one form (for natural reasons there is no plural form): 

Jag lä´ser tídningen en tímme várje mórgon.
I read the paper one hour every morning.

Vi å´ker till lándet på sómmaren várje år.
We go to the countryside on the summer every year.

She is beautiful pianist. He is slow. You are amazing.

but

She plays beautifully. He walks slowly. You are amazingly clever.

These forms are called adverbs, and describe how, when, and where. In Swedish adverbs of this kind are identical to the ett word form of the adjective (with the ending -t), also in the comparative and superlative, which you have already met in the previous chapter:

Han går lå´ngsamt. Hon spélar váckert. Du är ótróligt smart.
He walks slowly. She plays beautifully. You are amazingly clever.

The comparison of such adverbs is in most cases identical to the comparison of adjectives with ett words:

Han gå´r lå´ngsámmare. Hon spélar váckrast.
He walks more slowly. She plays most beautiful (of them all).

There is also another type of adverbs, which have the same function as the ones above, even though they do not have a special ending. The word ‘igå´r’ (‘yesterday’) answers the question ‘when?’ and is therefore an adverb. ‘Hémma’ (‘at home’) shows where something takes place, while ‘sákta’ (another word for ‘slowly’) defines how something is done. The English words ‘very’ and ‘rather’ are also adverbs, like their Swedish equivalents ‘mýcket’ and ‘gánska’, respectively.

Copyright Urban Sikeborg,
Stockholm 1997-1998.