German · A2 · Everyday language
Baby Knows Best in German
Talk to your baby about favourite comforts using simple German superlatives: am besten (best), am liebsten (most gladly or best for preferences) and am meisten (most).
What you'll learn
- Describe what helps your baby feel comfortable.
- Use am ... -sten or am ... -esten to say what happens most or feels best.
- Distinguish between quality, preference and amount.
- Use simple phrases about sleeping, cuddling and bath time.
German phrases for baby knows best
Du schläfst am besten in deinem Babybett.
You sleep best in your cot.
Am besten describes how well your baby sleeps. Dein Babybett becomes deinem Babybett after in when describing a location.
Du kuschelst am liebsten.
You like cuddles best.
Literally: You like cuddling best. Am liebsten expresses a favourite activity.
Du lachst am meisten, wenn Papa singt.
You laugh most when Dad sings.
Am meisten means most. In the wenn clause, the verb singt comes last.
Diese Decke ist am weichsten.
This blanket is the softest.
Am weichsten describes the blanket after ist. This form does not change with the noun's gender.
Deine Füße sind in diesen Socken am wärmsten.
Your feet are warmest in these socks.
Warm becomes am wärmsten, with an umlaut. In diesen Socken describes a location and uses the dative plural.
Nach deinem Bad bist du am ruhigsten.
You are calmest after your bath.
Nach deinem Bad means after your bath. Because this phrase comes first, bist comes before du.
Nach dem Kuscheln schläfst du am schnellsten ein.
You fall asleep fastest after a cuddle.
Einschlafen means to fall asleep. It separates here: schläfst ... ein.
Du magst Banane am liebsten.
You like banana best.
Magst comes from mögen (to like). Am liebsten makes the preference strongest: you like it best.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
das Babybett
cot; crib
A bed for a baby. Plural: die Babybetten.
kuscheln
to cuddle; to snuggle
As a noun, das Kuscheln means cuddling and takes a capital letter.
die Decke
blanket
Plural: die Decken.
der Fuß
foot
Plural: die Füße, with an umlaut.
die Socke
sock
Plural: die Socken.
ruhig
calm; quiet
For a settled baby, ruhig can mean calm.
einschlafen
to fall asleep
Different from schlafen, which means to sleep.
Building superlatives with am
Use am + adjective + -sten to express the highest degree. Some forms need -esten for easier pronunciation. Some common adjectives also gain an umlaut. Learn each form together with its basic adjective.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular form | schnell → am schnellsten | Nach dem Kuscheln schläfst du am schnellsten ein. |
| Form with -esten | sanft → am sanftesten | Papa streichelt dich am sanftesten. |
| Form with an umlaut | warm → am wärmsten | Deine Füße sind in diesen Socken am wärmsten. |
Three useful irregular forms
Use am besten for how good something is or how well it happens, am liebsten for preferences, and am meisten for the greatest amount.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | gut → am besten | Du schläfst am besten in deinem Babybett. |
| Preference | gern → am liebsten | Du kuschelst am liebsten. |
| Amount | viel → am meisten | Du lachst am meisten, wenn Papa singt. |
Describing a state or an action
A predicative superlative describes someone or something after sein (to be). An adverbial superlative describes an action. Both use the same am form, without endings that change for gender or number.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| State or quality | sein + am ... -sten | Diese Decke ist am weichsten. |
| Action | action verb + am ... -sten | Du schläfst am besten. |
More examples
Welche Decke ist am weichsten?
Which blanket is the softest?
Use welche with the feminine noun Decke.
Was magst du am liebsten?
What do you like best?
A simple question about favourites.
Bei Mama bist du am ruhigsten.
You are calmest with Mum.
Bei Mama means with Mum. The verb bist stays in second position.