Two of the most commonly used adverbs have irregular comparative forms. Use the table below as a reference.
As you can see in the table, it is the comparative of these two words that demonstrates the irregularity. The superlative, however, uses the standard superlative suffix.
Ottimamente is synonymous with benissimo and pessimamente with malissimo.
Often, in spoken language, these adverbs are modified with suffixes:
NB: It is never acceptable to say or write più bene or più male.
Adverb | Comparative | Superlative |
| bene | meglio | benissimo |
| male | peggio | malissimo |
As you can see in the table, it is the comparative of these two words that demonstrates the irregularity. The superlative, however, uses the standard superlative suffix.
Ottimamente is synonymous with benissimo and pessimamente with malissimo.
Often, in spoken language, these adverbs are modified with suffixes:
| Sta benino. He’s doing okay [lit. a little well]. |
NB: It is never acceptable to say or write più bene or più male.
Examples:
| Non abbiamo imparato bene la matematica da bambini. We didn’t learn math well as kids. Mia sorella sa parlare lo spagnolo meglio di me. My sister speaks Spanish better than me. Linda sta benissimo con i capelli corti. Linda looks great [lit. is very well] with short hair. Hai cucinato male la pasta e adesso non ne voglio. You cooked the pasta badly and now I don’t want any of it. Angelica è raffreddata, ma Ilaria sta peggio di lei. Angelica has a cold, but Ilaria is doing worse than her. Quest’anno i pomodori stanno crescendo malissimo a causa delle forti piogge. This year the tomatoes are growing very poorly because of the heavy rainfall. |