Last week I was asked an interesting grammatical question:
't?, que sabe todo, por qu? podemos usar -?simo con alguna palabra y con otra no'
(Standard Spanish- 't?, que sabes todo, por qu? podemos usar -?simo con algunas palabras y con otras no'). It was a nice compliment which I did appreciate.
I thought the question asked was interesting because first of all as a Spanish speaker (Dominican), he was not aware of the rules of formation of these adjectives, the parts of speech but as most who don't study grammar formally of their own language rely on instinct to know what's correct and incorrect. However, as we know that's not always the best route since there are many incorrect forms of speech used by many diverse segments of the Spanish-speaking population. I have provided many examples in various threads.
The suffix -?simo, -?sima in Spanish is used regularly in informal speech and is an alternative to using or repeating 'muy'. The suffix is of Latin origin and has remained in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. In Spanish it's a very notable form of informal speech.
He then stated 'how come some are more common than others as well some speakers use them more than others'. He is correct on both accounts.
The common examples he gave were:
bueno- buen?simo
rico- riqu?simo
malo- mal?simo
caro- car?simo
... than he said what about 'puerta' and I said try to make it a superlative and he couldn't and then he asked why. I said first of all it's a noun (un sustantivo) and -?simo/a is added to adjectives (which can also have a superlative connotation). As well, I said a door is door it can't be more than what it is.
There are many more examples of these forms. One has to be careful with the formation and spelling to retain the original phonetic sound of the adjective. Grammar books cover this concept. As well, for those who like the online links there are a few recommendable ones for a quick reference look up. A few adjectives have irregular or two forms. Usage is easy and becomes very natural and instinctive when you listen to the colloquial/ informal usage by Spanish speakers.
....bell?simo, clar?simo, much?simo, guap?simo, etc.
Pg. 109
Berlitz Essential Spanish: [a Self ... - Google Book Search
Learn Spanish Online, Spanish Grammar Lesson on Superlatives
-the best link of the three IMO:
Ways of Saying 'Very' in Spanish - Learn Spanish Language
-LDG.
't?, que sabe todo, por qu? podemos usar -?simo con alguna palabra y con otra no'
(Standard Spanish- 't?, que sabes todo, por qu? podemos usar -?simo con algunas palabras y con otras no'). It was a nice compliment which I did appreciate.
I thought the question asked was interesting because first of all as a Spanish speaker (Dominican), he was not aware of the rules of formation of these adjectives, the parts of speech but as most who don't study grammar formally of their own language rely on instinct to know what's correct and incorrect. However, as we know that's not always the best route since there are many incorrect forms of speech used by many diverse segments of the Spanish-speaking population. I have provided many examples in various threads.
The suffix -?simo, -?sima in Spanish is used regularly in informal speech and is an alternative to using or repeating 'muy'. The suffix is of Latin origin and has remained in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. In Spanish it's a very notable form of informal speech.
He then stated 'how come some are more common than others as well some speakers use them more than others'. He is correct on both accounts.
The common examples he gave were:
bueno- buen?simo
rico- riqu?simo
malo- mal?simo
caro- car?simo
... than he said what about 'puerta' and I said try to make it a superlative and he couldn't and then he asked why. I said first of all it's a noun (un sustantivo) and -?simo/a is added to adjectives (which can also have a superlative connotation). As well, I said a door is door it can't be more than what it is.
There are many more examples of these forms. One has to be careful with the formation and spelling to retain the original phonetic sound of the adjective. Grammar books cover this concept. As well, for those who like the online links there are a few recommendable ones for a quick reference look up. A few adjectives have irregular or two forms. Usage is easy and becomes very natural and instinctive when you listen to the colloquial/ informal usage by Spanish speakers.
....bell?simo, clar?simo, much?simo, guap?simo, etc.
Pg. 109
Berlitz Essential Spanish: [a Self ... - Google Book Search
Learn Spanish Online, Spanish Grammar Lesson on Superlatives
-the best link of the three IMO:
Ways of Saying 'Very' in Spanish - Learn Spanish Language
-LDG.