When and How to Use -issimo, -issima, and -issimi

One of the ways you can emphasizes intensity or extremes in Italian, is with the use of the superlative suffixes -issimo, -issima, and -issimi.

The superlative form is used to express the highest degree of a quality, often translated as "very," "extremely," or "most" in English.

One of the most common ways to form superlatives is by adding the suffix -issimo (for masculine singular), -issima (for feminine singular), or -issimi (for masculine plural) to the root of an adjective.

These suffixes give the adjective an intensified meaning, often conveying admiration or strong feelings toward the subject.

How to form the superlative

To form a superlative, you can follow these steps:

Start with the adjective's root:

For example, the word "bello" (beautiful).

Drop the final vowel from the adjective

Bello → Bell

Add the appropriate suffix depending on the gender and number

• Bell + issimo = bellissimo (masculine singular)
• Bell + issima = bellissima (feminine singular)
• Bell + issimi = bellissimi (masculine plural)
• Bell + issime = bellissime (feminine plural)

Examples:

• "Questa pizza è buonissima!"
  ("This pizza is very delicious!")
• "Le montagne sono altissime."
  ("The mountains are extremely tall.")
• "Il mare oggi è calmissimo."
  ("The sea is incredibly calm today.")

When and why to use -issimo/-issima/-issimi

Using these superlatives is a way to add color, exaggeration, or emphasis to your statements. Italians love to use these forms in everyday conversations to express enthusiasm, exaggerate for effect, or convey a strong opinion. For instance:

• When you're really impressed with something:
  • "Quella torta è buonissima!" (That cake is so delicious!)
• When you want to emphasize the extremity of a situation:
  • "Il traffico era lunghissimo!" (The traffic was incredibly long!)
• When something is better or stronger than usual:
  • "Sono felicissimo di vederti!" (I’m so happy to see you!)

Gender and number agreement

Just like with regular adjectives, the superlative suffix must agree with the noun it describes in both gender and number. Let’s break it down:

• Masculine singular: -issimo
  • "Questo gelato è dolcissimo."
    ("This ice cream is very sweet.")
• Feminine singular: -issima
  • "La spiaggia è bellissima."
    ("The beach is gorgeous.")
• Masculine plural: -issimi
  • "I fiori sono profumatissimi."
    ("The flowers are extremely fragrant.")
• Feminine plural: -issime
  • "Le case sono pulitissime."
    ("The houses are very clean.")

Commonly Used Superlatives

Some adjectives are so commonly used with the superlative suffix that they become a staple of everyday Italian:

• Buono (good) → Buonissimo (extremely good/delicious)
• Alto (tall) → Altissimo (very tall)
• Vecchio (old) → Vecchissimo (very old)
• Lento (slow) → Lentissimo (extremely slow)
• Freddo (cold) → Freddissimo (freezing)

Superlative adverbs

I'll cover this in a future post, but superlatives can also be formed with adverbs to exaggerate actions.

You can add -issimamente to certain adverbs to emphasize how something is done, though these forms are much rarer and tend to be used in formal or poetic language.

For example:

• Chiarissimamente → Very clearly
• Dolcissimamente → Very sweetly

However, adverbial superlatives are much less common and often sound quite old-fashioned or flowery.