pertíssimo

Pertíssimo is a Portuguese adjective and adverb formed from perto with the superlative suffix -íssimo. It denotes extreme proximity or immediacy and can describe physical closeness, temporal nearness, or figurative closeness in relationships or likelihood.

Grammatically, pertíssimo agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: pertíssimo (masc. sing.), pertíssima (fem. sing.), pertíssimos (masc. pl.), pertíssimas (fem. pl.). It is most commonly used predicatively after verbs such as estar or ficar, for example: “A casa fica pertíssimo do centro” or “Estamos pertíssimos de terminar o relatório.” It can also modify a noun in a prepositional phrase: “uma cidade pertíssima da praia.” In some contexts, particularly in European Portuguese, speakers may prefer expression with muito perto, but pertíssimo remains common in Brazilian Portuguese and in formal or literary styles.

Usage notes and register: pertíssimo is widely understood across the lusophone world and tends to appear in descriptive, literary, or emphatic contexts. It is less frequent in everyday speech in some European varieties, where simpler alternatives like muito perto or bem perto may be used instead.

See also: perto, próximo, proximidade, and the general formation of the Portuguese superlative with the suffix -íssimo.