Superlative Adjective Forms

A Superlative form is the highest degree of an adjective (think of the word super). In English, superlatives are words like fastest, smartest, greatest, etc. There are several ways of expressing superlatives in Tagalog. This section will discuss some of the most common forms.
1. Reduplication

    The superlative is expressed by repeating the adjective. The two adjectives are connected by the linker NA (na/-ng/-g). In a simple sentence, this adjective form comes before anANG-phrase/pronoun, or in other words, this adjective describes a noun that is in focus. Here are some examples:

Magandang-maganda ang pelikula.	The movie was very good.
Mabait na mabait ang nanay niya.	Her mom is very nice.
Murang-mura ang kamatis ngayon.	Tomatoes are very cheap these days.

Noun Modifier
magandang-magandang pelikula	a very good movie
mabait na mabait na tao	a very nice person
murang-murang gulay	very cheap vegetables

2. ANG + Adjective root (+ optional reduplication of the root)
   The superlative is expressed by placing ANG before the adjective root. The root word may be repeated for emphasis. In a simple sentence, the adjective form comes before aNG-phrase/pronoun (the word being described is not in focus). Here are some examples:

Ang ganda ng pelikula.Ang ganda-ganda ng pelikula.	The movie was very good.
Ang bait niya.Ang bait-bait niya.	She is very nice.
Ang mura nito.Ang mura-mura nito.	These are very cheap.

Noun Modifier
ang gandang pelikulaang ganda-gandang pelikula	a very good movie
ang bait na kapitbahayang bait-bait na kapitbahay	a very nice neighbor
ang murang gulayang mura-murang gulay	very cheap vegetables

Let's take a look at the first sentence:
Ang ganda ng pelikula.
In this case the beauty (ganda) is so great that it is considered to be more important than the movie. Hence ganda is in focus and not the movie. Instead of saying something like "It was a beautiful movie" (maganda ang pelikula), saying "Ang ganda ng pelikula!" means something like: "Ah, the beauty of that movie!"

3. The affix NAPAKA-
    The superlative is expressed by attaching the prefix napaka- to the root word. In a simple sentence, this adjective form comes before a NG-phrase/pronoun (the thing being described is not in focus). Here, like ANG superlatives, the adjective is seen to be so great that it eclipses the thing/person being described (e.g., the beauty is more important than the film). Hence, the thing described is not in focus. Here are some examples:

Napakaganda ng pelikula.	The movie was very good.
Napakabait ni Mrs. Santos.	Mrs.Santos is very nice.
Napakamura ng kamatis ngayon.	Tomatoes are very cheap these days.

Noun Modifier
napakagandang pelikula	a very good movie
napakabait na kaibigan	a very good friend
napakamurang gulay	very cheap vegetables

4. The affix PAGKA- + Adjective root (+ optional reduplication of the root)   
    The superlative is expressed by attaching the prefix PAGKA- to the adjective root. The root word may be repeated for emphasis. In a simple sentence, this adjective form comes before a NG-phrase/pronoun. Like NAPAKA, the adjective is more important than the thing being described. Hence, the thing described is not in focus. Here are some examples:

Pagkaganda ng pelikula.Pagkaganda-ganda ng pelikula.	The movie was very good.
Pagkabait ni Mrs. Santos.Pagkabait-bait ni Mrs. Santos.	Mrs. Santos is very nice.
Pagkamura ng gulay.Pagkamura-mura ng gulay.	The vegetables are very cheap.

Noun Modifier
pagkagandang pelikulapagkaganda-gandang pelikula	a very good movie
pagkabait na katrabahopagkabait-bait na katrabaho	a very nice colleague
pagkamurang gulaypagkamura-murang gulay	very cheap vegetables

5. Other Expressions
    There are other phrases that are used to express superlatives. Some of the more common ones are presented here.

Superlative structure	Examples
Ubod ng + adjective root	Ubod ng talino ang bata. (The kid is very smart.) ubod ng talinong bata (a very smart kid)
Saksakan ng + adjective root	Saksakan ng tamis ang mangga. (The mango is very sweet.) saksakan ng tamis na mangga (a very sweet mango)
Puno ng + adjective root	Puno ng saya ang salu-salo. (The party was so much fun.) puno ng sayang salu-salo (a very enjoyable party)

Comparative Adjective Forms

These types of adjectives are used when comparing different things. There are two basic kinds of comparison: equal comparison and unequal comparison.
Equal Comparison
1. There are two common ways of expressing equal comparison. One is by adding the prefix magkasing- to the adjective root word. Take for example the root word (noun) gandabeauty. To make this word an adjective of equal comparison, I would add magkasing- to the front of the word ganda:
magkasing + ganda = magkasingganda
Magkasing-   words always comes before an ang-phrase/pronoun, or in other words, these adjectives always describe (or go with) words that are in focus. Here are some examples:

Magkasingganda ang rosas at ang orkidyas.	Roses and orchids are of the same  (degree of) beauty.
Magkasingtalino sina Pedro at Mario.	Pedro and Mario are of the same (degree of) intelligence.
Magkasingtangkad kami.	We are of the same height.
Magkasinggaling sila.	They are of the same (good) skill.

Let's take a close look at the first example:
Magkasingganda ang rosas at ang orkidyas.
Notice that there are two words that are in focus in this sentence (rosas and orkidyas). This is because rosas and orkidyas are truly equal to each other (in the sense of the quality being compared and in prominence). Hence magkasing- is used when you are comparing two items that are equal and have the same prominence or importance in the sentence. Neitherorkidyas or rosas stands out over the other.

2. Another way of expressing equal comparison is by adding the prefix  kasing-/sing- to the adjective root. In a simple sentence, this form always comes before ng-phrase/pronoun +ang-phrase/pronoun. In other words, the prefix kasing-/sing compares two words. One of these words is in focus, and the other one is not in focus. It is as though you hold up one item as the main one that you are talking about;  then, you compare that first item to another item that is not the main focus of your discussion.

Kasingganda ng rosas ang orkidyas.	Orchids are as beautiful as roses.
Singtalino ni Mario si Pedro.	Pedro is as intelligent as Mario.
Kasingtaas ko siya.	She is as tall as I am.
Singgaling niya siya.	He is as good as he is.

 Let's take a close look at the first example again:
Kasingganda ng rosas ang orkidyas.
Orkidyas is in focus but rosas is not. It is as though I came to give a lecture on orchids, and I hold one up in my hands and say, "Orchids are as beautiful as roses." Both items are of equal beauty, but one item is more relevant or prominent (focused) in my statement. For these circumstances you use the kasing-/sing prefix.

Unequal Comparison
When things and/or people being compared  share the same quality but not of the same degree, the adjective is preceded by the qualifier MAS.  In a simple sentence, the MAS + adjective  is followed by the structure ANG-phrase+(KAYSA)+SA-phrase. In other words, MAS and the adjective are followed by a word that is in focus, then by the word KAYSA, then by a word that is a SA- word. The word that is in focus is the word that has more of the quality;  the SA word has less of the quality. This is roughly equivalent to the English phrase more . . . than. Here are some examples:

Mas maganda ang rosas (kaysa) sa orkidyas.	Roses are more beautiful than orchids.
Mas matalino si Mario (kaysa) kay Pedro.	Mario is more intelligent than Pedro.
Mas matangkad ako kaysa sa kanya.	I am taller than he is.
Mas magaling siya kaysa sa kanya.	She is smarter than he is.

Other functions
These forms may function as modifiers of nouns, as shown by the following examples:

dalawang magkasinggandang bulaklak	two equally beautiful flowers
ang batang kasingtalino ni Pepe	the kid who is as smart as Pepe
taong kasing tangkad ng puno	a person who is as tall as a tree

They may also function as adverbs modifying verbs. Here are a few examples:

Lumakad siya nang mas mabilis.	She walked faster.
Kumanta siya ng mas magaling.	He sang better.

Neutral Adjective Forms

Neutral Adjectives are the standard, regular type of adjective used in Tagalog. These adjectives may be classified into two kinds according to their structures: simple adjectives (root words) and MA-adjectives (MA- + root word).
In other words, there are some adjectives that by their nature can be adjectives on their own, and nothing needs to be added to make them   adjectives. Think for example of the wordslow in English. This word works naturally as an adjective without any modification, as for example in the sentence "That is a slow cat." These type of adjectives in Tagalog are called simple adjectives (like payat, bansot, etc.).
On the other hand, there are some words in English that need to be modified before they can be used as an adjective. Take for example the word beauty. On its own, it is a noun. But if I want to turn it into an adjective, I have to make some changes in the word. Take for example the sentence: "I saw the beautiful mountain." Here I added the marker or affix -FUL onto the word beauty. -FUL really just goes back to the English word full, so when I say beautiful, I am really saying "full of beauty."
There are similar adjectives in Tagalog. Tagalog has a lot of root words that on their own simply function as nouns (e.g., ganda, taba). If I want to use these words as adjectives, then I have to stick an affix onto the word.
An AFFIX is like a little code or marker that is added on to a word. Affixes package into a word extra bits of meaning. There are three kinds of affixes. A PREFIX is added to the start of a word, an INFIX is added inside a word, and a SUFFIX is added on to the end of a word.
In order to make Tagalog root words adjectives, I add the affix MA to the beginning of the word. Like English -FUL, MA essentially means "full of." For example, let's take the root word (noun) ganda beauty. To make this word an adjective, I add on the MA:
ma + ganda = maganda beautiful (or literally 'full of beauty')
These type of adjectives are called MA-adjectives, and these are the type you will see most often. The MA prefix is a tip off to the learner that you have an adjective in front of you.
Here are some more examples:

Simple Adjectives	MA-Adjectives
payat(slim/thin)	mataba (fat)
bansot(short)	matangkad (tall)
mahal(expensive)	masarap (delicious)
mura(cheap)	mayaman (rich)

Adjectives may function as a modifiers of noun(s) or noun phrase(s) or as predicates of adjectival sentences. Here are a few examples:

Noun Modifier
magandang pelikula	good movie
matalinong bata	smart kid
mabait na kapitbahay	nice neighbor
maliit na kwarto	small room

Predicate of an Adjectival Sentence
Maganda ang pelikula.	The movie is good.
Matalino ang bata.	The kid is smart.
Mabait si Pina.	Pina is nice.
Maliit ang kwarto ko.	My room is small.

Adjectives in Tagalog can also  play the role of what is known as an adverb in English. An adverb describes a verb in the same way that an adjective describes a noun. For example, look at the following sentence:
    Bob walked to the house.
Let's say we wanted to add something about how Bob walked to the house. We could say:
    Bob walked slowly to the house.
Slowly is an adverb in this sentence.
Tagalog does not distinguish between adverbs and adjectives. The same forms used as adjectives are also used as adverbs. Here are some examples:

Mabilis tumakbo si Juan.	Juan runs fast.
Mabagal na naglakad si Mario.	Mario walked slowly.
Mahusay na kumanta si Minda.	Minda sang well.
Masayang naglalaro ang mga bata.	The kids are playing happily.