ülivõrdet

Ülivõrdet is a grammatical concept found in the Estonian language, referring to the superlative degree of adjectives and adverbs. It signifies the highest or most extreme level of a quality. The superlative is formed by adding specific suffixes to the adjective or adverb base.

In Estonian, the typical superlative suffix is "-im". For example, the adjective "vana" (old) becomes "vanim" (oldest) in the superlative. Similarly, the adverb "hästi" (well) becomes "halvasti" (worst) in the superlative. However, there are irregular forms and exceptions. Some common adjectives have distinct superlative forms that do not follow the standard suffix rule, such as "hea" (good) which becomes "parim" (best) and "väike" (small) which becomes "väikseim" or "kõige väiksem" (smallest).

The superlative can be used in several ways. It can stand alone when the context makes it clear what is being compared, or it can be used with a genitive noun phrase to indicate the group from which the highest degree is taken. For instance, "ta on klassi targim" (he is the smartest in the class) or "see on minu parim sõber" (this is my best friend). The particle "kõige" (most) is also frequently used to form the superlative, especially for longer or less common adjectives and adverbs, providing an alternative and sometimes preferred way to express the highest degree. For example, "kõige huvitavam" (most interesting).