What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is constructed literally as the most intelligent rather than using a single word for 'smartest'.
Which one should you use?
While el más inteligente is the standard way to express this, you can use el más listo for a more informal tone. In certain regions, you might encounter el más pilas to mean 'the sharpest' or 'the smartest'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Central America and parts of South America, the colloquialism el más pilas is common. In Spain, people sometimes use the intensified adjective inteligentísimo to express a very high level of intelligence.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must change its gender and number to match the people being described. To refer to a female, use la más inteligente. To refer to a group of people or a mixed group, use the masculine plural los más inteligentes. To refer to a group consisting only of females, use the feminine plural las más inteligentes.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, calling someone el más pilas uses the word for 'batteries' to describe their intelligence.
- The word más shares an ancestor with the English word 'master', through the Latin 'magister', which relates to being 'greater' or 'more'.
- While inteligente describes academic or cognitive ability, listo can also mean 'ready', creating potential confusion in a classroom setting.
Examples in context
- Soy el más inteligente.I'm the smartest.This example is useful for stating that you are the smartest using el más inteligente.Tatoeba #6677419 by arh, translation #9668462 by DJ_Saidez
- Veamos quién es el más inteligente de todos nosotros.Let's see who's the smartest out of all of us.This example is useful for asking who among a group is the smartest using el más inteligente.Tatoeba #11463007 by DJ_Saidez, translation #9885018 by DJ_Saidez
- Juan es el más inteligente de su clase.Juan is the smartest in his class.
- María es la más sabia de sus hermanos.María is the wisest of her siblings.
- Él es el más inteligente de la clase.He is the smartest in the class.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are discussing their classmates' exam results.
- Alejandro¿Quién sacó la mejor nota?Who got the best grade?
- SofíaParece que Luis es el más inteligente.It seems that Luis is the smartest.
- AlejandroEs cierto, él siempre estudia mucho.That's true, he always studies a lot.
- SofíaSí, es un chico muy brillante.Yes, he is a very bright boy.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, inteligente, más, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
