German · A2 · Everyday language
What Suits You Best in German
Talk about your child’s favourites and what works best in daily life. Use German superlatives with am to describe preferences, abilities and feelings.
What you'll learn
- Ask which games and foods your child likes best.
- Use am besten, am liebsten and am meisten correctly.
- Describe what is fastest, clearest, lightest or most tiring.
German phrases for what suits you best
Du liest in einem ruhigen Zimmer am besten.
You read best in a quiet room.
Am besten describes how well someone does something.
Welches Spiel spielst du am liebsten?
Which game do you like playing most?
Use am liebsten with an activity to ask about a favourite.
Welches Obst magst du am liebsten?
Which fruit do you like best?
Obst is a collective noun. Welches Obst asks which fruit or kind of fruit.
Du lachst am meisten, wenn dein Freund zu Besuch kommt.
You laugh most when your friend visits.
Am meisten describes the greatest amount. In the wenn clause, kommt goes at the end.
Mit dem Fahrrad kommen wir am schnellsten zur Schule.
We get to school fastest by bike.
Mit dem Fahrrad means ‘by bike’. After this opening phrase, the verb kommen comes before wir.
Dieser Bleistift schreibt am deutlichsten.
This pencil writes most clearly.
Am deutlichsten describes how clearly the pencil writes.
Deine Schultasche ist freitags am leichtesten.
Your school bag is lightest on Fridays.
Freitags means ‘on Fridays’ as a regular pattern. Here, leicht means ‘light in weight’.
Nach dem Fußballspielen bist du am müdesten.
You are most tired after football.
Nach dem Fußballspielen means ‘after playing football’. Müde becomes am müdesten.
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
ruhig
quiet; calm
In einem ruhigen Zimmer means ‘in a quiet room’.
das Obst
fruit
Use this collective noun for fruit in general.
zu Besuch kommen
to come to visit
Use dein Freund for a male friend and deine Freundin for a female friend.
der Bleistift
pencil
Dieser Bleistift means ‘this pencil’.
die Schultasche
school bag
Deine Schultasche means ‘your school bag’.
freitags
on Fridays
Write this adverb with a lowercase letter. Am Freitag means ‘on Friday’.
Building superlatives with am
Usually, use am + adjective + -sten. Some forms need -esten, especially after -d or -t. Learn the spelling of each form. These superlatives are written with a lowercase letter.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular: schnell | schnell → am schnellsten | Mit dem Fahrrad sind wir am schnellsten. |
| Regular: deutlich | deutlich → am deutlichsten | Dieser Bleistift schreibt am deutlichsten. |
| Extra e: leicht | leicht → am leichtesten | Die Tasche ist am leichtesten. |
| Adjective ending in -e: müde | müde → am müdesten | Abends bin ich am müdesten. |
Three useful irregular forms
Use am besten for the highest quality or best performance, am liebsten for preference, and am meisten for the greatest amount.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Best | gut → am besten | Du liest hier am besten. |
| Like doing most | gern → am liebsten | Welches Spiel spielst du am liebsten? |
| Most | viel → am meisten | Du lachst am meisten. |
Describing actions and states
An adverbial superlative describes an action. A predicative superlative describes the subject after a verb such as sein. In both uses, the am form stays the same regardless of gender or number.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action: how someone reads | lesen + am besten | Du liest am besten. |
| State: how heavy something is | sein + am leichtesten | Die Schultasche ist am leichtesten. |
| Plural: the form stays the same | sein + am müdesten | Nach dem Spielen sind wir am müdesten. |
More examples
Wann liest du am besten?
When do you read best?
Use wann to ask about the best time for an activity.
Ich esse Äpfel am liebsten.
I like eating apples best.
Am liebsten expresses a preference, not how many apples you eat.
Ich esse am meisten, wenn ich hungrig bin.
I eat most when I am hungry.
Am meisten refers to the amount. Bin goes at the end of the wenn clause.
Welche Tasche ist am leichtesten?
Which bag is lightest?
Use welche with the feminine noun Tasche.