How does one form the superlative of the adverb?

Rinne mé go maith é.
I did it well.

Rinne mé níos fearr é. (?)
I did it better.

Sin é an rud is fearr a dhéanamh.
That is the best thing to do.

How do you say, "I did it best." or "That's what I do best."?

Usually "is": but be careful!

But maith is irregular.

I did it best (of a group of people)
Is mise an duine is fearr a rinne é

That's what I do best
Is aige sin is fearr atá mé

To be strictly accurate: there is no superlative form. "Is + comparative" usually indicates superlative, but may indicate comparison.

example:
dearg - aidiacht dearg [ainmneach uatha ]
deirge [breischéim ]

Is deirge Lenin ná Stalin - Lenin is redder than Stalin.
Sé Trotsky is deirge - Trotsky is reddest. (But even this could be comparative - there is an implied "of them all" in there).

He showed it more interestingly.

One time in Irish class I said that as:

Léirigh sé go níos suimiúla é.

but the teacher corrected me with:

Léirigh sé níos suimiúla é.


That's all I can tell you!

I did it best : Rinne mé é sa chaoi ab fhearr.

FnaB's last example illustrates another other strange thing about the superlative; it changes with a change in tense.

Ba deirge Lenin ná Stalin.
Lenin was redder than Stalin.

B'é Trotsky ba deirge.
Trotsky was reddest.

I guess this quirk is because the superlative is formed using the copula.

Is that second sentence correct or would it be better to say, "Bhí Trotsky ba deirge"?

(Message edited by lúcas on November 30, 2004)

Oopppps. I forgot. Ba causes séimhiú.

Ba dheirge Lenin ná Stalin.
Lenin was redder than Stalin.

B'é Trotsky ba dheirge.
Trotsky was reddest.

I understand that the comparative even changes tense. Let me rewrite FnaB's last sentence in comparative past tense.

Rinne mé é sa chaoi ní b'fhearr.
I did it better.

It is interesting in the past superlative how ba gets turned around into ab when it preceded by a vowel, e.g., ab fhearr, but in the past comparative níos = ní + is gets changed into ní b',e.g., ní b'fhearr. Check out p. 101 of Mac Congáil's grammar for more on this.

níos = ní + is

I do it the best way.
Déanaim é sa chaoi is fearr.

I do it a better away.
Déanaim é i gcaoi níos fearr.

I did it the best way.
Rinne mé é sa chaoi ab fhearr.

I did it better.
Rinne mé é i gcaoi ní ab fhearr.
OR
Rinne mé é i gcaoi ní b'fhearr.


You have a choice between "ab fhearr" and "b'fhearr", I believe... though I'm open to correction on that!

Another example:

Your mother was the most beautiful woman in the country.
Ba í do mháthair an bhean ab áille sa tír.

Just some general examples.

It is the biggest dog.
Sé an madra is mó.

That dog is bigger.
Tá an madra sin níos mó.

It was the biggest dog.
Ba é an madra ba mhó.

That dog was bigger.
Bhí an madra sin ní ba mhó.

-

It is the most beautiful dog.
Sé an madra is áille.

That dog is more beautiful.
Tá an madra sin níos áille.

It was the most beautiful dog.
Ba é an madra ab áille.

That dog was more beautiful.
Bhí an madra sin ní b'áille.
(maybe "ní ab áille" would be valid above... ?)

(((I did it best (of a group of people)
Is mise an duine is fearr a rinne é.)))

But isn't "fearr" modifying "duine", and therefore an adjective?

(((That's what I do best
Is aige sin is fearr atá mé.)))

Again, isn't "fearr" being used as an adjective (modifying "aige sin") here? Is there no superlative of adverb?

Níl fhios agam! Ní smaoiním i dtearmaí gramadaí dá léithéid.

Tabhair sampla i mBéarla dúinn, más é do thoil é!

De réir na leathnaigh seo: http://www.braesicke.de/gram.htm (i nGearmáinís) níl aon breis- ná sárchéim ar dobhriathair, seachas na cinn a thagann ó aidiacht. Agus is ionannn na foirmeacha.

(((Tabhair sampla i mBéarla dúinn, más é do thoil é!)))

Rinne mé.

Tuilleadh samplaí:

I ran the fastest.

I came the earliest.

I sleep the soundest.

I'll be shouting the loudest.

I pluck the penguins the most efficiently.

I tip-toe through the landmines the most carefully.

Okay, well here's how I'd do them:

I ran the fastest = Mise a rith is tapa.
I came the earliest = Mise a tháinig is luaithe.

But I'm not sure if they're right.

Mise ba thapúla a rith
Mise is luaithe a tháinig
Agamsa atá an suain is doimhne
Mise is airde a bheidh ag scairteadh
Mise is fearr ag lomadh penguiní (?)
Mise is curaimí a rachadh ar bharraciní tríd na mianaigh talún

Níl fhios agam an bhfeiceann tú patrún ansin, ach feictear dhom gur aidiacht ar "mise" a bhíonn ann.

Feicim. But it seems that in every example the noun is being modified, not the verb. Nach é sin ach a chaoi a bhfuil sé i nGaeilge?

Is dóigh liom é. Ní feidir liom smaoineamh air sampla leis an mbriathar.

Tá an méid seo le rá ag Lars Braesicke: (http://www.braesicke.de/adverb.htm)

quote:

Im Irischen ist hier im Grunde die Komparativform kein Adverb, sondern ein Adjektiv in einem Kopula-Relativsatz als Attribut des Subjekts. Das klingt kompliziert, ist es aber nicht. z.B.:
Is é Seán is luaithe rith. = Seán läuft am schnellsten. (wörtl.: "Ist er Seán der-ist schnellst Laufen"), oder:
Is é Seán is luaithe a ritheann. = Seán läuft am schnellsten. (wörtl.: "Ist er Seán der-ist schnellst, der läuft")

Go bunúsach ní dobhriathar an breischéim, ach cailíocht ar an ainmní i fó-abairt leis an gcopail.