Spanish: An Essential Grammar

The suffix -ísimamente

This may be added to adjectives, although only infrequently, to form an

intensified adverb, as in English ‘very/most... ly’:

rápido rapidísimamente very rapidly

claro clarísimamente most clearly

Other comparative expressions

(a)No más que‘only’:

Juan no habla más que de Juan only talks about politics.

política.

(b)Nada más que ‘nothing except’:

No había nada más que dos There was nothing except two

bollitos de pan. bread rolls.

(c) Nadie más que ‘nobody except’:

No vimos a nadie más que We saw no one except

a Pedro. Pedro.

(d) Cada vez más/menos ‘more and more’/‘less and less’:

El tren iba cada vez más The train went faster and faster.

rápido.

Viene cada vez menos gente. Fewer and fewer people come.

Other expressions of equality – ‘the same (thing) as’

The English word ‘as’ is translated using queafter words meaning ‘same’.

These are: mismobefore nouns, igual after verbsand igual debefore adjec-

tives. Lo mismois equivalent to ‘the same (thing)’:

Tiene el mismo televisor He has the same television set

que nosotros. as us.

Ana es igual que su madre. Ana is just like her mother.

Es igual de antipático que He’s as unpleasant as his

su hermano. brother.

Dijo lo mismo que Luis. He said the same thing as Luis.

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26

Comparative
and
superlative
constructions

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