el más alto
/el mas alto/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'tallest' is translated into Spanish as el más alto.
This phrase is used to describe a person or thing that has the greatest height compared to others.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, el más alto means 'the most tall', which is the standard way to form the superlative in Spanish.
Which one should you use?
Use el más alto for the superlative 'the tallest', but use más alto que if you want to say 'taller than' (the comparative).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the subject. Use la más alta for feminine singular subjects, los más altos for masculine plural subjects and las más altas for feminine plural subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
/el mas alto/
Did you know?
- The word alto is a 'learned borrowing' from Latin, meaning it was imported by scholars rather than evolving naturally through everyday speech.
- If you see the word otero meaning a hill, you are actually looking at a descendant of the archaic, non-standard form of alto. It is a linguistic fossil of the version of the word that was used before the Latin borrowing became standard.
Examples in context
- Eres el más alto.You are tallest.This sentence is useful for saying 'You are tallest' using el más alto.Tatoeba #4484031 by cueyayotl, translation #16305 by CC
- Yo soy el más alto.I am the tallest.This sentence is useful for saying 'I am the tallest' using el más alto.Tatoeba #7305883 by arh, translation #7786165 by shekitten
- Tú eres el más alto.You are the tallest one.Tatoeba #1914476 by marcelostockle, translation #1391803 by AlanF_US
- Su edificio es el más alto de la ciudad.Their building is the tallest in the city.
- La torre Eiffel es la estructura más alta de Francia.The Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in France.
- Estos rascacielos son los más altos del país.These skyscrapers are the tallest in the country.
- Tus libros son los más altos de la estantería.Your books are the tallest on the shelf.
- Mi hermano es el más alto de la familia.My brother is the tallest in the family.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are comparing the heights of their classmates.
- Daniel¿Quién es el más alto de la clase?Who is the tallest in the class?
- LucíaCreo que Marcos es el más alto.I think Marcos is the tallest.
- DanielTienes razón, él es el más alto.You are right, he is the tallest.
- LucíaSí, es muy alto.Yes, he is very tall.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alto, el, más, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
